Flexible Containers With Multiple Product Volumes

ABSTRACT

Non-durable self-supporting flexible containers having multiple product volumes.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates in general to containers, and inparticular, to containers made from flexible material and havingmultiple product volumes.

BACKGROUND

Fluent products include liquid products and/or pourable solid products.In various embodiments, a container can be used to receive, contain, anddispense one or more fluent products. And, in various embodiments, acontainer can be used to receive, contain, and/or dispense individualarticles or separately packaged portions of a product. A container caninclude one or more product volumes. A product volume can be configuredto be filled with one or more fluent products. A container receives afluent product when its product volume is filled. Once filled to adesired volume, a container can be configured to contain the fluentproduct in its product volume, until the fluent product is dispensed. Acontainer contains a fluent product by providing a barrier around thefluent product. The barrier prevents the fluent product from escapingthe product volume. The barrier can also protect the fluent product fromthe environment outside of the container. A filled product volume istypically closed off by a cap or a seal. A container can be configuredto dispense one or more fluent products contained in its productvolume(s). Once dispensed, an end user can consume, apply, or otherwiseuse the fluent product(s), as appropriate. In various embodiments, acontainer may be configured to be refilled and reused or a container maybe configured to be disposed of after a single fill or even after asingle use. A container should be configured with sufficient structuralintegrity, such that it can receive, contain, and dispense its fluentproduct(s), as intended, without failure.

A container for fluent product(s) can be handled, displayed for sale,and put into use. A container can be handled in many different ways asit is made, filled, decorated, packaged, shipped, and unpacked. Acontainer can experience a wide range of external forces andenvironmental conditions as it is handled by machines and people, movedby equipment and vehicles, and contacted by other containers and variouspackaging materials. A container for fluent product(s) should beconfigured with sufficient structural integrity, such that it can behandled in any of these ways, or in any other way known in the art, asintended, without failure.

A container can also be displayed for sale in many different ways as itis offered for purchase. A container can be offered for sale as anindividual article of commerce or packaged with one or more othercontainers or products, which together form an article of commerce. Acontainer can be offered for sale as a primary package with or without asecondary package. A container can be decorated to display characters,graphics, branding, and/or other visual elements when the container isdisplayed for sale. A container can be configured to be displayed forsale while laying down or standing up on a store shelf, while presentedin a merchandising display, while hanging on a display hanger, or whileloaded into a display rack or a vending machine. A container for fluentproduct(s) should be configured with a structure that allows it to bedisplayed in any of these ways, or in any other way known in the art, asintended, without failure.

A container can also be put into use in many different ways, by its enduser. A container can be configured to be held and/or gripped by an enduser, so a container should be appropriately sized and shaped for humanhands; and for this purpose, a container can include useful structuralfeatures such as a handle and/or a gripping surface. A container can bestored while laying down or standing up on a support surface, whilehanging on or from a projection such as a hook or a clip, or whilesupported by a product holder, or (for refillable or rechargeablecontainers) positioned in a refilling or recharging station. A containercan be configured to dispense fluent product(s) while in any of thesestorage positions or while being held by the user. A container can beconfigured to dispense fluent product(s) through the use of gravity,and/or pressure, and/or a dispensing mechanism, such as a pump, or astraw, or through the use of other kinds of dispensers known in the art.Some containers can be configured to be filled and/or refilled by aseller (e.g. a merchant or retailer) or by an end user. A container forfluent product(s) should be configured with a structure that allows itto be put to use in any of these ways, or in any other way known in theart, as intended, without failure. A container can also be configured tobe disposed of by the end user, as waste and/or recyclable material, invarious ways.

One conventional type of container for fluent products is a rigidcontainer made from solid material(s). Examples of conventional rigidcontainers include molded plastic bottles, glass jars, metal cans,cardboard boxes, etc. These conventional rigid containers are well-knownand generally useful; however their designs do present several notabledifficulties.

First, some conventional rigid containers for fluent products can beexpensive to make. Some rigid containers are made by a process shapingone or more solid materials. Other rigid containers are made with aphase change process, where container materials are heated (tosoften/melt), then shaped, then cooled (to harden/solidify). Both kindsof making are energy intensive processes, which can require complexequipment.

Second, some conventional rigid containers for fluent products canrequire significant amounts of material. Rigid containers that aredesigned to stand up on a support surface require solid walls that arethick enough to support the containers when they are filled. This canrequire significant amounts of material, which adds to the cost of thecontainers and can contribute to difficulties with their disposal.

Third, some conventional rigid containers for fluent products can bedifficult to decorate. The sizes, shapes, (e.g. curved surfaces) and/ormaterials of some rigid containers, make it difficult to print directlyon their outside surfaces. Labeling requires additional materials andprocessing, and limits the size and shape of the decoration.Overwrapping provides larger decoration areas, but also requiresadditional materials and processing, often at significant expense.

Fourth, some conventional rigid containers for fluent products can beprone to certain kinds of damage. If a rigid container is pushed againsta rough surface, then the container can become scuffed, which mayobscure printing on the container. If a rigid container is pressedagainst a hard object, then the container can become dented, which maylook unsightly. And if a rigid container is dropped, then the containercan rupture, which may cause its fluent product to be lost.

Fifth, some fluent products in conventional rigid containers can bedifficult to dispense. When an end user squeezes a rigid container todispense its fluent product, the end user must overcome the resistanceof the rigid sides, to deform the container. Some users may lack thehand strength to easily overcome that resistance; these users maydispense less than their desired amount of fluent product. Other usersmay need to apply so much of their hand strength, that they cannoteasily control how much they deform the container; these users maydispense more than their desired amount of fluent product.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure describes various embodiments of containers madefrom flexible material. Because these containers are made from flexiblematerial, these containers can be less expensive to make, can use lessmaterial, and can be easier to decorate, when compared with conventionalrigid containers. First, these containers can be less expensive to make,because the conversion of flexible materials (from sheet form tofinished goods) generally requires less energy and complexity, thanformation of rigid materials (from bulk form to finished goods). Second,these containers can use less material, because they are configured withnovel support structures that do not require the use of the thick solidwalls used in conventional rigid containers. Third, these flexiblecontainers can be easier to print and/or decorate, because they are madefrom flexible materials, and flexible materials can be printed and/ordecorated as conformable webs, before they are formed into containers.Fourth, these flexible containers can be less prone to scuffing,denting, and rupture, because flexible materials allow their outersurfaces to deform when contacting surfaces and objects, and then tobounce back. Fifth, fluent products in these flexible containers can bemore readily and carefully dispensed, because the sides of flexiblecontainers can be more easily and controllably squeezed by human hands.Even though the containers of the present disclosure are made fromflexible material, they can be configured with sufficient structuralintegrity, such that they can receive, contain, and dispense fluentproduct(s), as intended, without failure. Also, these containers can beconfigured with sufficient structural integrity, such that they canwithstand external forces and environmental conditions from handling,without failure. Further, these containers can be configured withstructures that allow them to be displayed and put into use, asintended, without failure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure can be configured to includemultiple product volumes.

In a first set of embodiments, an article of manufacture can beconfigured to include a first disposable self-supporting flexiblecontainer having a first structural support frame and a first productvolume, wherein the first structural frame is configured to support thefirst product volume; and a second disposable flexible container havinga second product volume; wherein the first container is joined to thesecond container. In this first set of embodiments, neither, either orboth of these flexible containers can be configured to be stand upcontainers. In variations of this first set of embodiments, any of thesearticles can be configured to include any number of product volumes, anyof which can be joined together, in any manner disclosed herein. Anypart, parts, or all of any embodiment in this first set of embodimentscan be configured according to any embodiment of the present disclosure,in any workable combination.

In a second set of embodiments, a non-durable self-supporting flexiblecontainer can be configured to include a first product volume; a secondproduct volume; and a structural support frame, configured to supportboth the first product volume and the second product volume. In thissecond set of embodiments, any of these flexible containers can beconfigured to be stand up containers. In variations of this second setof embodiments, any of these articles can be configured to include anynumber of product volumes, each supported by the structural supportframe, in any manner disclosed herein. Any part, parts, or all of anyembodiment in this second set of embodiments can be configured accordingto any embodiment of the present disclosure, in any workablecombination.

In a third set of embodiments, a disposable self-supporting flexiblecontainer can be configured to include a first product volume, whichdirectly contains a first fluent product; a second product volume, whichdirectly contains a second fluent product that differs from the firstfluent product; and a structural support frame, configured to supporteither or both of the product volumes. In this second set ofembodiments, any of these flexible containers can be configured to bestand up containers. In variations of this third set of embodiments, anyof these flexible containers can be configured to include any number ofproduct volumes, each with a different fluent product, in any mannerdisclosed herein. Any part, parts, or all of any embodiment in thisthird set of embodiments can be configured according to any embodimentof the present disclosure, in any workable combination.

In a fourth set of embodiments, a non-durable self-supporting flexiblecontainer can be configured to include: a first product volume, whichdirectly contains a first fluent product; a second product volume, whichdirectly contains a second fluent product that differs from the firstfluent product; and a structural support frame, configured to supportboth the first product volume and the second product volume; and onlyone dispenser. In this fourth set of embodiments, any of these flexiblecontainers can be configured to be stand up containers. In variations ofthis fourth set of embodiments, any of these flexible containers can beconfigured to include any number of product volumes, each with adifferent fluent product, in any manner disclosed herein. Any part,parts, or all of any embodiment in this fourth set of embodiments can beconfigured according to any embodiment of the present disclosure, in anyworkable combination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand up flexiblecontainer.

FIG. 1B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C illustrates a top view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 1A.

FIG. 1D illustrates a bottom view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A illustrates a top view of a stand up flexible container having astructural support frame that has an overall shape like a frustum.

FIG. 2B illustrates a front view of the container of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C illustrates a side view of the container of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2D illustrates an isometric view of the container of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3A illustrates a top view of a stand up flexible container having astructural support frame that has an overall shape like a pyramid.

FIG. 3B illustrates a front view of the container of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3C illustrates a side view of the container of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3D illustrates an isometric view of the container of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4A illustrates a top view of a stand up flexible container having astructural support frame that has an overall shape like a trigonalprism.

FIG. 4B illustrates a front view of the container of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 4C illustrates a side view of the container of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 4D illustrates an isometric view of the container of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5A illustrates a top view of a stand up flexible container having astructural support frame that has an overall shape like a tetragonalprism.

FIG. 5B illustrates a front view of the container of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 5C illustrates a side view of the container of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 5D illustrates an isometric view of the container of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6A illustrates a top view of a stand up flexible container having astructural support frame that has an overall shape like a pentagonalprism.

FIG. 6B illustrates a front view of the container of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 6C illustrates a side view of the container of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 6D illustrates an isometric view of the container of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7A illustrates a top view of a stand up flexible container having astructural support frame that has an overall shape like a cone.

FIG. 7B illustrates a front view of the container of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 7C illustrates a side view of the container of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 7D illustrates an isometric view of the container of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8A illustrates a top view of a stand up flexible container having astructural support frame that has an overall shape like a cylinder.

FIG. 8B illustrates a front view of the container of FIG. 8A.

FIG. 8C illustrates a side view of the container of FIG. 8A.

FIG. 8D illustrates an isometric view of the container of FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9A illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a self-supportingflexible container, having an overall shape like a square.

FIG. 9B illustrates an end view of the flexible container of FIG. 9A.

FIG. 10A illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a self-supportingflexible container, having an overall shape like a triangle.

FIG. 10B illustrates an end view of the flexible container of FIG. 10A.

FIG. 11A illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a self-supportingflexible container, having an overall shape like a circle.

FIG. 11B illustrates an end view of the flexible container of FIG. 11A.

FIG. 12A illustrates an isometric view of push-pull type dispenser.

FIG. 12B illustrates an isometric view of dispenser with a flip-top cap.

FIG. 12C illustrates an isometric view of dispenser with a screw-on cap.

FIG. 12D illustrates an isometric view of rotatable type dispenser.

FIG. 12E illustrates an isometric view of nozzle type dispenser with acap.

FIG. 13A illustrates an isometric view of straw dispenser.

FIG. 13B illustrates an isometric view of straw dispenser with a lid.

FIG. 13C illustrates an isometric view of flip up straw dispenser.

FIG. 13D illustrates an isometric view of straw dispenser with bitevalve.

FIG. 14A illustrates an isometric view of pump type dispenser.

FIG. 14B illustrates an isometric view of pump spray type dispenser.

FIG. 14C illustrates an isometric view of trigger spray type dispenser.

FIG. 15A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed side by side, separated by a vertical wall, withdispensers on the top or bottom of the container.

FIG. 15B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 15A.

FIG. 16A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and three productvolumes disposed side by side, separated by vertical walls, withdispensers on the top or bottom of the container.

FIG. 16B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 16A.

FIG. 17A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed side by side, separated by a vertical wall, withdispensers on the front or back of the container.

FIG. 17B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 17A.

FIG. 18A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed side by side, separated by a vertical wall, withdispensers on the sides of the container.

FIG. 18B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 18A.

FIG. 19A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed side by side, separated by an angled wall, withdispensers on the sides of the container.

FIG. 19B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 19A.

FIG. 20A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed side by side, separated by a vertical wall, with aparallel dispenser on the top or bottom of the container.

FIG. 20B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 20A.

FIG. 21A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed side by side, separated by a vertical wall, with aparallel dispenser on the front or back of the container.

FIG. 21B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 21A.

FIG. 22A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed side by side, separated by a vertical wall, with amixing dispenser on the top or bottom of the container.

FIG. 22B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 22A.

FIG. 23A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed side by side, separated by a vertical wall, a mixingvolume, and with a dispenser on the top or bottom of the container.

FIG. 23B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 23A.

FIG. 24A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed front to back, separated by a vertical wall, withdispensers on the top or bottom of the container.

FIG. 24B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 24A.

FIG. 25A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed front to back, separated by a vertical wall, withdispensers on the front and the back of the container.

FIG. 25B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 25A.

FIG. 26A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed front to back, separated by an angled wall, withdispensers on the front or back of the container.

FIG. 26B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 26A.

FIG. 27A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed front to back, separated by a vertical wall, withdispensers on the sides of the container.

FIG. 27B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 27A.

FIG. 28A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed front to back, separated by a vertical wall, with aparallel dispenser on the top or bottom of the container.

FIG. 28B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 28A.

FIG. 29A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and three productvolumes disposed front to back, separated by vertical walls, with aparallel dispenser on the top or bottom of the container.

FIG. 29B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 29A.

FIG. 30A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed front to back, separated by a vertical wall, and with aparallel dispenser on the side of the container.

FIG. 30B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 30A.

FIG. 31A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed front to back, separated by a vertical wall, and with amixing dispenser on the top or bottom of the container.

FIG. 31B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 31A.

FIG. 32A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed front to back, separated by a vertical wall, a mixingvolume, and with dispensers on the top or bottom of the container.

FIG. 32B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 32A.

FIG. 33A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed top to bottom, separated by a horizontal wall, and withdispensers on the side of the container.

FIG. 33B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 33A.

FIG. 34A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed top to bottom, separated by an angled wall, and withdispensers on the sides of the container.

FIG. 34B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 34A.

FIG. 35A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and three productvolumes disposed top to bottom, separated by horizontal walls, and withdispensers on the sides of the container.

FIG. 35B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 35A.

FIG. 36A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed top to bottom, separated by a horizontal wall, and witha parallel dispenser on the side of the container.

FIG. 36B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 36A.

FIG. 37A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed top to bottom, separated by a horizontal wall, and witha parallel dispenser on the front or back of the container.

FIG. 37B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 37A.

FIG. 38A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed top to bottom, separated by a horizontal wall, and witha mixing dispenser on the side of the container.

FIG. 38B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 38A.

FIG. 39A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed top to bottom, separated by a horizontal wall, a mixingvolume, and a dispenser on the side of the container.

FIG. 39B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container ofFIG. 39A.

FIG. 40 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a self-supportingflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed side by side, adjacent to each other, separated by aseal, wherein one structural support frame supports both productvolumes, and there is a dispenser for each product volume.

FIG. 41 illustrates a top view of another embodiment of aself-supporting flexible container having a structural support frame andtwo product volumes disposed side by side, adjacent to each other,wherein one structural support frame supports both product volumes, andthere is a dispenser for each product volume.

FIG. 42 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a self-supportingflexible container having a structural support frame and two productvolumes disposed side by side, spaced apart from each other, wherein onestructural support frame supports both product volumes, and there is adispenser for each product volume.

FIG. 43 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of an article ofmanufacture having two self-supporting flexible containers, disposedside by side, wherein each container has a separate structural supportframe that supports a product volume that has a dispenser, and thecontainers are directly connected.

FIG. 44 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of an article ofmanufacture having two self-supporting flexible containers, disposedside by side, wherein each container has a separate structural supportframe that supports a product volume that has a dispenser, and thecontainers are joined together.

FIG. 45 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of an article ofmanufacture having three self-supporting flexible containers, disposedface on top of each other, wherein each container has a separatestructural support frame that supports a product volume that has adispenser, and the containers are directly connected.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure describes various embodiments of containers madefrom flexible material. Because these containers are made from flexiblematerial, these containers can be less expensive to make, can use lessmaterial, and can be easier to decorate, when compared with conventionalrigid containers. First, these containers can be less expensive to make,because the conversion of flexible materials (from sheet form tofinished goods) generally requires less energy and complexity, thanformation of rigid materials (from bulk form to finished goods). Second,these containers can use less material, because they are configured withnovel support structures that do not require the use of the thick solidwalls used in conventional rigid containers. Third, these flexiblecontainers can be easier to decorate, because their flexible materialscan be easily printed before they are formed into containers. Fourth,these flexible containers can be less prone to scuffing, denting, andrupture, because flexible materials allow their outer surfaces to deformwhen contacting surfaces and objects, and then to bounce back. Fifth,fluent products in these flexible containers can be more readily andcarefully dispensed, because the sides of flexible containers can bemore easily and controllably squeezed by human hands.

Even though the containers of the present disclosure are made fromflexible material, they can be configured with sufficient structuralintegrity, such that they can receive, contain, and dispense fluentproduct(s), as intended, without failure. Also, these containers can beconfigured with sufficient structural integrity, such that they canwithstand external forces and environmental conditions from handling,without failure. Further, these containers can be configured withstructures that allow them to be displayed for sale and put into use, asintended, without failure.

As used herein, the term “about” modifies a particular value, byreferring to a range equal to the particular value, plus or minus twentypercent (+/−20%). For any of the embodiments of flexible containers,disclosed herein, any disclosure of a particular value, can, in variousalternate embodiments, also be understood as a disclosure of a rangeequal to about that particular value (i.e. +/−20%).

As used herein, the term “ambient conditions” refers to a temperaturewithin the range of 15-35 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity withinthe range of 35-75%.

As used herein, the term “approximately” modifies a particular value, byreferring to a range equal to the particular value, plus or minusfifteen percent (+/−15%). For any of the embodiments of flexiblecontainers, disclosed herein, any disclosure of a particular value, can,in various alternate embodiments, also be understood as a disclosure ofa range equal to approximately that particular value (i.e. +/−15%).

As used herein, when referring to a sheet of material, the term “basisweight” refers to a measure of mass per area, in units of grams persquare meter (gsm). For any of the embodiments of flexible containers,disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any of the flexible materialscan be configured to have a basis weight of 10-1000 gsm, or any integervalue for gsm from 10-1000, or within any range formed by any of thesevalues, such as 20-800 gsm, 30-600 gsm, 40-400 gsm, or 50-200, etc.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“bottom” refers to the portion of the container that is located in thelowermost 30% of the overall height of the container, that is, from0-30% of the overall height of the container. As used herein, the termbottom can be further limited by modifying the term bottom with aparticular percentage value, which is less than 30%. For any of theembodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, a reference to thebottom of the container can, in various alternate embodiments, refer tothe bottom 25% (i.e. from 0-25% of the overall height), the bottom 20%(i.e. from 0-20% of the overall height), the bottom 15% (i.e. from 0-15%of the overall height), the bottom 10% (i.e. from 0-10% of the overallheight), or the bottom 5% (i.e. from 0-5% of the overall height), or anyinteger value for percentage between 0% and 30%.

As used herein, the term “branding” refers to a visual element intendedto distinguish a product from other products. Examples of brandinginclude one of more of any of the following: trademarks, trade dress,logos, icons, and the like. For any of the embodiments of flexiblecontainers, disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any surface of theflexible container can include one or more brandings of any size, shape,or configuration, disclosed herein or known in the art, in anycombination.

As used herein, the term “character” refers to a visual element intendedto convey information. Examples of characters include one or more of anyof the following: letters, numbers, symbols, and the like. For any ofthe embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, in variousembodiments, any surface of the flexible container can include one ormore characters of any size, shape, or configuration, disclosed hereinor known in the art, in any combination.

As used herein, the term “closed” refers to a state of a product volume,wherein fluent products within the product volume are prevented fromescaping the product volume (e.g. by one or more materials that form abarrier, and by a cap), but the product volume is not necessarilyhermetically sealed. For example, a closed container can include a vent,which allows a head space in the container to be in fluid communicationwith air in the environment outside of the container.

As used herein, the term “directly connected” refers to a configurationwherein elements are attached to each other without any intermediateelements therebetween, except for any means of attachment (e.g.adhesive).

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“dispenser” refers to a structure configured to dispense fluentproduct(s) from a product volume and/or from a mixing volume to theenvironment outside of the container. For any of the flexible containersdisclosed herein, any dispenser can be configured in any way disclosedherein or known in the art, including any suitable size, shape, and flowrate. For example, a dispenser can be a push-pull type dispenser, adispenser with a flip-top cap, a dispenser with a screw-on cap, arotatable type dispenser, dispenser with a cap, a pump type dispenser, apump spray type dispenser, a trigger spray type dispenser, a strawdispenser, a flip up straw dispenser, a straw dispenser with bite valve,a dosing dispenser, etc. A dispenser can be a parallel dispenser,providing multiple flow channels in fluid communication with multipleproduct volumes, wherein those flow channels remain separate until thepoint of dispensing, thus allowing fluent products from multiple productvolumes to be dispensed as separate fluent products, dispensed togetherat the same time. A dispenser can be a mixing dispenser, providing oneor more flow channels in fluid communication with multiple productvolumes, with multiple flow channels combined before the point ofdispensing, thus allowing fluent products from multiple product volumesto be dispensed as the fluent products mixed together. As anotherexample, a dispenser can be formed by a frangible opening. As furtherexamples, a dispenser can utilize one or more valves and/or dispensingmechanisms disclosed in the art, such as those disclosed in: publishedUS patent application 2003/0096068, entitled “One-way valve forinflatable package”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,016 entitled “Self-sealingcontainer”; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,717, entitled “Package having afluid actuated closure”; each of which is hereby incorporated byreference. Still further, any of the dispensers disclosed herein, may beincorporated into a flexible container either directly, or incombination with one or more other materials or structures (such as afitment), or in any way known in the art. In some alternate embodiments,dispensers disclosed herein can be configured for both dispensing andfilling, to allow filling of product volume(s) through one or moredispensers. In other alternate embodiments, a product volume can includeone or more filling structure(s) (e.g. for adding water to a mixingvolume) in addition to or instead of one or more dispenser(s). Anylocation for a dispenser, disclosed herein can alternatively be used asa location for a filling structure.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“disposable” refers to a container which, after dispensing a product toan end user, is not configured to be refilled with an additional amountof the product, but is configured to be disposed of (i.e. as waste,compost, and/or recyclable material). Part, parts, or all of any of theembodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, can be configuredto be disposable.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“durable” refers to a container that is reusable more than non-durablecontainers.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“effective base contact area” refers to a particular area defined by aportion of the bottom of the container, when the container (with all ofits product volume(s) filled 100% with water) is standing upright andits bottom is resting on a horizontal support surface. The effectivebase contact area lies in a plane defined by the horizontal supportsurface. The effective base contact area is a continuous area bounded onall sides by an outer periphery.

The outer periphery is formed from an actual contact area and from aseries of projected areas from defined cross-sections taken at thebottom of the container. The actual contact area is the one or moreportions of the bottom of the container that contact the horizontalsupport surface, when the effective base contact area is defined. Theeffective base contact area includes all of the actual contact area.However, in some embodiments, the effective base contact area may extendbeyond the actual contact area.

The series of projected area are formed from five horizontalcross-sections, taken at the bottom of the flexible container. Thesecross-sections are taken at 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5% of the overallheight. The outer extent of each of these cross-sections is projectedvertically downward onto the horizontal support surface to form five(overlapping) projected areas, which, together with the actual contactarea, form a single combined area. This is not a summing up of thevalues for these areas, but is the formation of a single combined areathat includes all of these (projected and actual) areas, overlappingeach other, wherein any overlapping portion makes only one contributionto the single combined area.

The outer periphery of the effective base contact area is formed asdescribed below. In the following description, the terms convex,protruding, concave, and recessed are understood from the perspective ofpoints outside of the combined area. The outer periphery is formed by acombination of the outer extent of the combined area and any chords,which are straight line segments constructed as described below.

For each continuous portion of the combined area that has an outerperimeter with a shape that is concave or recessed, a chord isconstructed across that portion. This chord is the shortest straightline segment that can be drawn tangent to the combined area on bothsides of the concave/recessed portion.

For a combined area that is discontinuous (formed by two or moreseparate portions), one or more chords are constructed around the outerperimeter of the combined area, across the one or more discontinuities(open spaces disposed between the portions). These chords are straightlines segments drawn tangent to the outermost separate portions of thecombined area. These chords are drawn to create the largest possibleeffective base contact area.

Thus, the outer periphery is formed by a combination of the outer extentof the combined area and any chords, constructed as described above,which all together enclose the effective base area. Any chords that arebounded by the combined area and/or one or more other chords, are notpart of the outer periphery and should be ignored.

Any of the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, can beconfigured to have an effective base contact area from 1 to 50,000square centimeters (cm²), or any integer value for cm² between 1 and50,000 cm², or within any range formed by any of the preceding values,such as: from 2 to 25,000 cm², 3 to 10,000 cm², 4 to 5,000 cm², 5 to2,500 cm², from 10 to 1,000 cm², from 20 to 500 cm², from 30 to 300 cm²,from 40 to 200 cm², or from 50 to 100 cm², etc.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“expanded” refers to the state of one or more flexible materials thatare configured to be formed into a structural support volume, after thestructural support volume is made rigid by one or more expansionmaterials. An expanded structural support volume has an overall widththat is significantly greater than the combined thickness of its one ormore flexible materials, before the structural support volume is filledwith the one or more expansion materials. Examples of expansionmaterials include liquids (e.g. water), gases (e.g. compressed air),fluent products, foams (that can expand after being added into astructural support volume), co-reactive materials (that produce gas), orphase change materials (that can be added in solid or liquid form, butwhich turn into a gas; for example, liquid nitrogen or dry ice), orother suitable materials known in the art, or combinations of any ofthese (e.g. fluent product and liquid nitrogen). In various embodiments,expansion materials can be added at atmospheric pressure, or added underpressure greater than atmospheric pressure, or added to provide amaterial change that will increase pressure to something aboveatmospheric pressure. For any of the embodiments of flexible containers,disclosed herein, its one or more flexible materials can be expanded atvarious points in time, with respect to its manufacture, sale, and use,including, for example: before or after its product volume(s) are filledwith fluent product(s), before or after the flexible container isshipped to a seller, and before or after the flexible container ispurchased by an end user.

As used herein, when referring to a product volume of a flexiblecontainer, the term “filled” refers to the state when the product volumecontains an amount of fluent product(s) that is equal to a full capacityfor the product volume, with an allowance for head space, under ambientconditions. As used herein, the term filled can be modified by using theterm filled with a particular percentage value, wherein 100% filledrepresents the maximum capacity of the product volume.

As used herein, the term “flat” refers to a surface that is withoutsignificant projections or depressions.

As used herein, the term “flexible container” refers to a containerconfigured to have a product volume, wherein one or more flexiblematerials form 50-100% of the overall surface area of the one or morematerials that define the three-dimensional space of the product volume.For any of the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, invarious embodiments, the flexible container can be configured to have aproduct volume, wherein one or more flexible materials form a particularpercentage of the overall area of the one or more materials that definethe three-dimensional space, and the particular percentage is anyinteger value for percentage between 50% and 100%, or within any rangeformed by any of these values, such as: 60-100%, or 70-100%, or 80-100%,or 90-100%, etc. One kind of flexible container is a film-basedcontainer, which is a flexible container made from one or more flexiblematerials, which include a film.

For any of the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, invarious embodiments, the middle of the flexible container (apart fromany fluent product) can be configured to have an overall middle mass,wherein one or more flexible materials form a particular percentage ofthe overall middle mass, and the particular percentage is any integervalue for percentage between 50% and 100%, or within any range formed byany of the preceding values, such as: 60-100%, or 70-100%, or 80-100%,or 90-100%, etc.

For any of the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, invarious embodiments, the entire flexible container (apart from anyfluent product) can be configured to have an overall mass, wherein oneor more flexible materials form a particular percentage of the overallmass, and the particular percentage is any integer value for percentagebetween 50% and 100%, or within any range formed by any of the precedingvalues, such as: 60-100%, or 70-100%, or 80-100%, or 90-100%, etc.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“flexible material” refers to a thin, easily deformable, sheet-likematerial, having a flexibility factor within the range of1,000-2,500,000 N/m. For any of the embodiments of flexible containers,disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any of the flexible materialscan be configured to have a flexibility factor of 1,000-2,500,000 N/m,or any integer value for flexibility factor from 1,000-2,500,000 N/m, orwithin any range formed by any of these values, such as 1,000-1,500,000N/m, 1,500-1,000,000 N/m, 2,500-800,000 N/m, 5,000-700,000 N/m,10,000-600,000 N/m, 15,000-500,000 N/m, 20,000-400,000 N/m,25,000-300,000 N/m, 30,000-200,000 N/m, 35,000-100,000 N/m,40,000-90,000 N/m, or 45,000-85,000 N/m, etc. Throughout the presentdisclosure the terms “flexible material”, “flexible sheet”, “sheet”, and“sheet-like material” are used interchangeably and are intended to havethe same meaning. Examples of materials that can be flexible materialsinclude one or more of any of the following: films (such as plasticfilms), elastomers, foamed sheets, foils, fabrics (including wovens andnonwovens), biosourced materials, and papers, in any configuration, asseparate material(s), or as layer(s) of a laminate, or as part(s) of acomposite material, in a microlayered or nanolayered structure, and inany combination, as described herein or as known in the art. In variousembodiments, part, parts, or all of a flexible material can be coated oruncoated, treated or untreated, processed or unprocessed, in any mannerknown in the art. In various embodiments, parts, parts, or about all, orapproximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of aflexible material can made of sustainable, bio-sourced, recycled,recyclable, and/or biodegradable material. Part, parts, or about all, orapproximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of any ofthe flexible materials described herein can be partially or completelytranslucent, partially or completely transparent, or partially orcompletely opaque. The flexible materials used to make the containersdisclosed herein can be formed in any manner known in the art, and canbe joined together using any kind of joining or sealing method known inthe art, including, for example, heat sealing (e.g. conductive sealing,impulse sealing, ultrasonic sealing, etc.), welding, crimping, bonding,adhering, and the like, and combinations of any of these.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“flexibility factor” refers to a material parameter for a thin, easilydeformable, sheet-like material, wherein the parameter is measured inNewtons per meter, and the flexibility factor is equal to the product ofthe value for the Young's modulus of the material (measured in Pascals)and the value for the overall thickness of the material (measured inmeters).

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term “fluentproduct” refers to one or more liquids and/or pourable solids, andcombinations thereof. Examples of fluent products include one or more ofany of the following: bites, bits, creams, chips, chunks, crumbs,crystals, emulsions, flakes, gels, grains, granules, jellies, kibbles,liquid solutions, liquid suspensions, lotions, nuggets, ointments,particles, particulates, pastes, pieces, pills, powders, salves, shreds,sprinkles, and the like, either individually or in any combination.Throughout the present disclosure the terms “fluent product” and“flowable product” are used interchangeably and are intended to have thesame meaning. Any of the product volumes disclosed herein can beconfigured to include one or more of any fluent product disclosedherein, or known in the art, in any combination.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“formed” refers to the state of one or more materials that areconfigured to be formed into a product volume, after the product volumeis provided with its defined three-dimensional space.

As used herein, the term “graphic” refers to a visual element intendedto provide a decoration or to communicate information. Examples ofgraphics include one or more of any of the following: colors, patterns,designs, images, and the like. For any of the embodiments of flexiblecontainers, disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any surface of theflexible container can include one or more graphics of any size, shape,or configuration, disclosed herein or known in the art, in anycombination.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term “heightarea ratio” refers to a ratio for the container, with units of percentimeter (cm⁻¹), which is equal to the value for the overall height ofthe container (with all of its product volume(s) filled 100% with water,and with overall height measured in centimeters) divided by the valuefor the effective base contact area of the container (with all of itsproduct volume(s) filled 100% with water, and with effective basecontact area measured in square centimeters). For any of the embodimentsof flexible containers, disclosed herein, in various embodiments, any ofthe flexible containers, can be configured to have a height area ratiofrom 0.3 to 3.0 per centimeter, or any value in increments of 0.05 cm⁻¹between 0.3 and 3.0 per centimeter, or within any range formed by any ofthe preceding values, such as: from 0.35 to 2.0 cm⁻¹, from 0.4 to 1.5cm⁻¹, from 0.4 to 1.2 cm⁻¹, or from 0.45 to 0.9 cm⁻¹, etc.

As used herein, the term “indicia” refers to one or more of characters,graphics, branding, or other visual elements, in any combination. Forany of the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, invarious embodiments, any surface of the flexible container can includeone or more indicia of any size, shape, or configuration, disclosedherein or known in the art, in any combination.

As used herein, the term “indirectly connected” refers to aconfiguration wherein elements are attached to each other with one ormore intermediate elements therebetween.

As used herein, the term “joined” refers to a configuration whereinelements are either directly connected or indirectly connected.

As used herein, the term “lateral” refers to a direction, orientation,or measurement that is parallel to a lateral centerline of a container,when the container is standing upright on a horizontal support surface,as described herein. A lateral orientation may also be referred to a“horizontal” orientation, and a lateral measurement may also be referredto as a “width.”

As used herein, the term “like-numbered” refers to similar alphanumericlabels for corresponding elements, as described below. Like-numberedelements have labels with the same last two digits; for example, oneelement with a label ending in the digits 20 and another element with alabel ending in the digits 20 are like-numbered. Like-numbered elementscan have labels with a differing first digit, wherein that first digitmatches the number for its figure; as an example, an element of FIG. 3labeled 320 and an element of FIG. 4 labeled 420 are like-numbered.Like-numbered elements can have labels with a suffix (i.e. the portionof the label following the dash symbol) that is the same or possiblydifferent (e.g. corresponding with a particular embodiment); forexample, a first embodiment of an element in FIG. 3A labeled 320-a and asecond embodiment of an element in FIG. 3B labeled 320-b, are likenumbered.

As used herein, the term “longitudinal” refers to a direction,orientation, or measurement that is parallel to a longitudinalcenterline of a container, when the container is standing upright on ahorizontal support surface, as described herein. A longitudinalorientation may also be referred to a “vertical” orientation. Whenexpressed in relation to a horizontal support surface for a container, alongitudinal measurement may also be referred to as a “height”, measuredabove the horizontal support surface.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“middle” refers to the portion of the container that is located inbetween the top of the container and the bottom of the container. Asused herein, the term middle can be modified by describing the termmiddle with reference to a particular percentage value for the topand/or a particular percentage value for the bottom. For any of theembodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, a reference to themiddle of the container can, in various alternate embodiments, refer tothe portion of the container that is located between any particularpercentage value for the top, disclosed herein, and/or any particularpercentage value for the bottom, disclosed herein, in any combination.

As used herein, the term “mixing volume” refers to a type product volumethat is configured to receive one or more fluent product(s) from one ormore product volumes and/or from the environment outside of thecontainer.

As used herein, when referring to a product volume, the term “multipledose” refers to a product volume that is sized to contain a particularamount of product that is about equal to two or more units of typicalconsumption, application, or use by an end user. Any of the embodimentsof flexible containers, disclosed herein, can be configured to have oneor more multiple dose product volumes. A container with only one productvolume, which is a multiple dose product volume, is referred to hereinas a “multiple dose container.”

As used herein, the term “nearly” modifies a particular value, byreferring to a range equal to the particular value, plus or minus fivepercent (+/−5%). For any of the embodiments of flexible containers,disclosed herein, any disclosure of a particular value, can, in variousalternate embodiments, also be understood as a disclosure of a rangeequal to approximately that particular value (i.e. +/−5%).

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“non-durable” refers to a container that is temporarily reusable, ordisposable, or single use.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“overall height” refers to a distance that is measured while thecontainer is standing upright on a horizontal support surface, thedistance measured vertically from the upper side of the support surfaceto a point on the top of the container, which is farthest away from theupper side of the support surface. Any of the embodiments of flexiblecontainers, disclosed herein, can be configured to have an overallheight from 2.0 cm to 100.0 cm, or any value in increments of 0.1 cmbetween 2.0 and 100.0 cm, or within any range formed by any of thepreceding values, such as: from 4.0 to 90.0 cm, from 5.0 to 80.0 cm,from 6.0 to 70.0 cm, from 7.0 to 60.0 cm, from 8.0 to 50.0 cm, from 9.0to 40.0 cm, or from 10.0 to 30.0, etc.

As used herein, when referring to a sheet of flexible material, the term“overall thickness” refers to a linear dimension measured perpendicularto the outer major surfaces of the sheet, when the sheet is lying flat.For any of the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, invarious embodiments, any of the flexible materials can be configured tohave an overall thickness 5-500 micrometers (μm), or any integer valuefor micrometers from 5-500, or within any range formed by any of thesevalues, such as 10-500 μm, 20-400 μm, 30-300 μm, 40-200 μm, or 50-100μm, etc.

As used herein, the term “product volume” refers to an enclosablethree-dimensional space that is configured to receive and directlycontain one or more fluent product(s), wherein that space is defined byone or more materials that form a barrier that prevents the fluentproduct(s) from escaping the product volume. By directly containing theone or more fluent products, the fluent products come into contact withthe materials that form the enclosable three-dimensional space; there isno intermediate material or container, which prevents such contact.Throughout the present disclosure the terms “product volume” and“product receiving volume” are used interchangeably and are intended tohave the same meaning. Any of the embodiments of flexible containers,disclosed herein, can be configured to have any number of productvolumes including one product volume, two product volumes, three productvolumes, four product volumes, five product volumes, six productvolumes, or even more product volumes. In some embodiments, one or moreproduct volumes can be enclosed within another product volume. Any ofthe product volumes disclosed herein can have a product volume of anysize, including from 0.001 liters to 100.0 liters, or any value inincrements of 0.001 liters between 0.001 liters and 3.0 liters, or anyvalue in increments of 0.01 liters between 3.0 liters and 10.0 liters,or any value in increments of 1.0 liters between 10.0 liters and 100.0liters, or within any range formed by any of the preceding values, suchas: from 0.001 to 2.2 liters, 0.01 to 2.0 liters, 0.05 to 1.8 liters,0.1 to 1.6 liters, 0.15 to 1.4 liters, 0.2 to 1.2 liters, 0.25 to 1.0liters, etc. A product volume can have any shape in any orientation. Aproduct volume can be included in a container that has a structuralsupport frame, and a product volume can be included in a container thatdoes not have a structural support frame.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“resting on a horizontal support surface” refers to the containerresting directly on the horizontal support surface, without othersupport.

As used herein, the term “sealed,” when referring to a product volume,refers to a state of the product volume wherein fluent products withinthe product volume are prevented from escaping the product volume (e.g.by one or more materials that form a barrier, and by a seal), and theproduct volume is hermetically sealed.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“self-supporting” refers to a container that includes a product volumeand a structural support frame, wherein, when the container is restingon a horizontal support surface, in at least one orientation, thestructural support frame is configured to prevent the container fromcollapsing and to give the container an overall height that issignificantly greater than the combined thickness of the materials thatform the container, even when the product volume is unfilled. Any of theembodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, can be configuredto be self-supporting.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term “singleuse” refers to a closed container which, after being opened by an enduser, is not configured to be reclosed. Any of the embodiments offlexible containers, disclosed herein, can be configured to be singleuse.

As used herein, when referring to a product volume, the term “singledose” refers to a product volume that is sized to contain a particularamount of product that is about equal to one unit of typicalconsumption, application, or use by an end user. Any of the embodimentsof flexible containers, disclosed herein, can be configured to have oneor more single dose product volumes. A container with only one productvolume, which is a single dose product volume, is referred to herein asa “single dose container.”

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the terms “standup,” “stands up,” “standing up”, “stand upright”, “stands upright”, and“standing upright” refer to a particular orientation of aself-supporting flexible container, when the container is resting on ahorizontal support surface. This standing upright orientation can bedetermined from the structural features of the container and/or indiciaon the container. In a first determining test, if the flexible containerhas a clearly defined base structure that is configured to be used onthe bottom of the container, then the container is determined to bestanding upright when this base structure is resting on the horizontalsupport surface. If the first test cannot determine the standing uprightorientation, then, in a second determining test, the container isdetermined to be standing upright when the container is oriented to reston the horizontal support surface such that the indicia on the flexiblecontainer are best positioned in an upright orientation. If the secondtest cannot determine the standing upright orientation, then, in a thirddetermining test, the container is determined to be standing uprightwhen the container is oriented to rest on the horizontal support surfacesuch that the container has the largest overall height. If the thirdtest cannot determine the standing upright orientation, then, in afourth determining test, the container is determined to be standingupright when the container is oriented to rest on the horizontal supportsurface such that the container has the largest height area ratio. Ifthe fourth test cannot determine the standing upright orientation, then,any orientation used in the fourth determining test can be considered tobe a standing upright orientation.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term “standup container” refers to a self-supporting container, wherein, when thecontainer (with all of its product volume(s) filled 100% with water) isstanding up, the container has a height area ratio from 0.4 to 1.5 cm⁻¹.Any of the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosed herein, can beconfigured to be stand up containers.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“structural support frame” refers to a rigid structure formed of one ormore structural support members, joined together, around one or moresizable empty spaces and/or one or more nonstructural panels, andgenerally used as a major support for the product volume(s) in theflexible container and in making the container self-supporting and/orstanding upright. In each of the embodiments disclosed herein, when aflexible container includes a structural support frame and one or moreproduct volumes, the structural support frame is considered to besupporting the product volumes of the container, unless otherwiseindicated.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“structural support member” refers to a rigid, physical structure, whichincludes one or more expanded structural support volumes, and which isconfigured to be used in a structural support frame, to carry one ormore loads (from the flexible container) across a span. A structure thatdoes not include at least one expanded structural support volume, is notconsidered to be a structural support member, as used herein.

A structural support member has two defined ends, a middle between thetwo ends, and an overall length from its one end to its other end. Astructural support member can have one or more cross-sectional areas,each of which has an overall width that is less than its overall length.

A structural support member can be configured in various forms. Astructural support member can include one, two, three, four, five, sixor more structural support volumes, arranged in various ways. Forexample, a structural support member can be formed by a singlestructural support volume. As another example, a structural supportmember can be formed by a plurality of structural support volumes,disposed end to end, in series, wherein, in various embodiments, part,parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all, ornearly all, or all of some or all of the structural support volumes canbe partly or fully in contact with each other, partly or fully directlyconnected to each other, and/or partly or fully joined to each other. Asa further example, a structural support member can be formed by aplurality of support volumes disposed side by side, in parallel,wherein, in various embodiments, part, parts, or about all, orapproximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of someor all of the structural support volumes can be partly or fully incontact with each other, partly or fully directly connected to eachother, and/or partly or fully joined to each other.

In some embodiments, a structural support member can include a number ofdifferent kinds of elements. For example, a structural support membercan include one or more structural support volumes along with one ormore mechanical reinforcing elements (e.g. braces, collars, connectors,joints, ribs, etc.), which can be made from one or more rigid (e.g.solid) materials.

Structural support members can have various shapes and sizes. Part,parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all, ornearly all, or all of a structural support member can be straight,curved, angled, segmented, or other shapes, or combinations of any ofthese shapes. Part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, orsubstantially all, or nearly all, or all of a structural support membercan have any suitable cross-sectional shape, such as circular, oval,square, triangular, star-shaped, or modified versions of these shapes,or other shapes, or combinations of any of these shapes. A structuralsupport member can have an overall shape that is tubular, or convex, orconcave, along part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, orsubstantially all, or nearly all, or all of a length. A structuralsupport member can have any suitable cross-sectional area, any suitableoverall width, and any suitable overall length. A structural supportmember can be substantially uniform along part, parts, or about all, orapproximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of itslength, or can vary, in any way described herein, along part, parts, orabout all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, orall of its length. For example, a cross-sectional area of a structuralsupport member can increase or decrease along part, parts, or all of itslength. Part, parts, or all of any of the embodiments of structuralsupport members of the present disclosure, can be configured accordingto any embodiment disclosed herein, including any workable combinationof structures, features, materials, and/or connections from any numberof any of the embodiments disclosed herein.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“structural support volume” refers to a fillable space made from one ormore flexible materials, wherein the space is configured to be at leastpartially filled with one or more expansion materials, which createtension in the one or more flexible materials, and form an expandedstructural support volume. One or more expanded structural supportvolumes can be configured to be included in a structural support member.A structural support volume is distinct from structures configured inother ways, such as: structures without a fillable space (e.g. an openspace), structures made from inflexible (e.g. solid) materials,structures with spaces that are not configured to be filled with anexpansion material (e.g. an unattached area between adjacent layers in amulti-layer panel), and structures with flexible materials that are notconfigured to be expanded by an expansion material (e.g. a space in astructure that is configured to be a non-structural panel). Throughoutthe present disclosure the terms “structural support volume” and“expandable chamber” are used interchangeably and are intended to havethe same meaning.

In some embodiments, a structural support frame can include a pluralityof structural support volumes, wherein some of or all of the structuralsupport volumes are in fluid communication with each other. In otherembodiments, a structural support frame can include a plurality ofstructural support volumes, wherein some of or none of the structuralsupport volumes are in fluid communication with each other. Any of thestructural support frames of the present disclosure can be configured tohave any kind of fluid communication disclosed herein.

As used herein, the term “substantially” modifies a particular value, byreferring to a range equal to the particular value, plus or minus tenpercent (+/−10%). For any of the embodiments of flexible containers,disclosed herein, any disclosure of a particular value, can, in variousalternate embodiments, also be understood as a disclosure of a rangeequal to approximately that particular value (i.e. +/−10%).

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“temporarily reusable” refers to a container which, after dispensing aproduct to an end user, is configured to be refilled with an additionalamount of a product, up to ten times, before the container experiences afailure that renders it unsuitable for receiving, containing, ordispensing the product. As used herein, the term temporarily reusablecan be further limited by modifying the number of times that thecontainer can be refilled before the container experiences such afailure. For any of the embodiments of flexible containers, disclosedherein, a reference to temporarily reusable can, in various alternateembodiments, refer to temporarily reusable by refilling up to eighttimes before failure, by refilling up to six times before failure, byrefilling up to four times before failure, or by refilling up to twotimes before failure, or any integer value for refills between one andten times before failure. Any of the embodiments of flexible containers,disclosed herein, can be configured to be temporarily reusable, for thenumber of refills disclosed herein.

As used herein, the term “thickness” refers to a measurement that isparallel to a third centerline of a container, when the container isstanding upright on a horizontal support surface, as described herein. Athickness may also be referred to as a “depth.”

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term “top”refers to the portion of the container that is located in the uppermost20% of the overall height of the container, that is, from 80-100% of theoverall height of the container. As used herein, the term top can befurther limited by modifying the term top with a particular percentagevalue, which is less than 20%. For any of the embodiments of flexiblecontainers, disclosed herein, a reference to the top of the containercan, in various alternate embodiments, refer to the top 15% (i.e. from85-100% of the overall height), the top 10% (i.e. from 90-100% of theoverall height), or the top 5% (i.e. from 95-100% of the overallheight), or any integer value for percentage between 0% and 20%.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“unexpanded” refers to the state of one or more materials that areconfigured to be formed into a structural support volume, before thestructural support volume is made rigid by an expansion material.

As used herein, when referring to a product volume of a flexiblecontainer, the term “unfilled” refers to the state of the product volumewhen it does not contain a fluent product.

As used herein, when referring to a flexible container, the term“unformed” refers to the state of one or more materials that areconfigured to be formed into a product volume, before the product volumeis provided with its defined three-dimensional space. For example, anarticle of manufacture could be a container blank with an unformedproduct volume, wherein sheets of flexible material, with portionsjoined together, are laying flat against each other.

Flexible containers, as described herein, may be used across a varietyof industries for a variety of products. For example, flexiblecontainers, as described herein, may be used across the consumerproducts industry, including the following products: soft surfacecleaners, hard surface cleaners, glass cleaners, ceramic tile cleaners,toilet bowl cleaners, wood cleaners, multi-surface cleaners, surfacedisinfectants, dishwashing compositions, laundry detergents, fabricconditioners, fabric dyes, surface protectants, surface disinfectants,cosmetics, facial powders, body powders, hair treatment products (e.g.mousse, hair spray, styling gels), shampoo, hair conditioner (leave-inor rinse-out), cream rinse, hair dye, hair coloring product, hair shineproduct, hair serum, hair anti-frizz product, hair split-end repairproducts, permanent waving solution, antidandruff formulation, bathgels, shower gels, body washes, facial cleaners, skin care products(e.g. sunscreen, sun block lotions, lip balm, skin conditioner, coldcreams, moisturizers), body sprays, soaps, body scrubs, exfoliants,astringent, scrubbing lotions, depilatories, antiperspirantcompositions, deodorants, shaving products, pre-shaving products, aftershaving products, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc. As further examples,flexible containers, as described herein, may be used across otherindustries, including foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, commercialproducts, industrial products, medical, etc.

FIGS. 1A-1D illustrates various views of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 100. FIG. 1A illustrates a front view of thecontainer 100. The container 100 is standing upright on a horizontalsupport surface 101.

In FIG. 1A, a coordinate system 110, provides lines of reference forreferring to directions in the figure. The coordinate system 110 is athree-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system with an X-axis, a Y-axis,and a Z-axis, wherein each axis is perpendicular to the other axes, andany two of the axes define a plane. The X-axis and the Z-axis areparallel with the horizontal support surface 101 and the Y-axis isperpendicular to the horizontal support surface 101.

FIG. 1A also includes other lines of reference, for referring todirections and locations with respect to the container 100. A lateralcenterline 111 runs parallel to the X-axis. An XY plane at the lateralcenterline 111 separates the container 100 into a front half and a backhalf. An XZ plane at the lateral centerline 111 separates the container100 into an upper half and a lower half. A longitudinal centerline 114runs parallel to the Y-axis. A YZ plane at the longitudinal centerline114 separates the container 100 into a left half and a right half. Athird centerline 117 runs parallel to the Z-axis. The lateral centerline111, the longitudinal centerline 114, and the third centerline 117 allintersect at a center of the container 100.

A disposition with respect to the lateral centerline 111 defines what islongitudinally inboard 112 and longitudinally outboard 113. When a firstlocation is nearer to the lateral centerline 111 than a second location,the first location is considered to be disposed longitudinally inboard112 to the second location. And, the second location is considered to bedisposed longitudinally outboard 113 from the first location. The termlateral refers to a direction, orientation, or measurement that isparallel to the lateral centerline 111. A lateral orientation may alsobe referred to a horizontal orientation, and a lateral measurement mayalso be referred to as a width.

A disposition with respect to the longitudinal centerline 114 defineswhat is laterally inboard 115 and laterally outboard 116. When a firstlocation is nearer to the longitudinal centerline 114 than a secondlocation, the first location is considered to be disposed laterallyinboard 115 to the second location. And, the second location isconsidered to be disposed laterally outboard 116 from the firstlocation. The term longitudinal refers to a direction, orientation, ormeasurement that is parallel to the longitudinal centerline 114. Alongitudinal orientation may also be referred to a vertical orientation.

A longitudinal direction, orientation, or measurement may also beexpressed in relation to a horizontal support surface for the container100. When a first location is nearer to the support surface than asecond location, the first location can be considered to be disposedlower than, below, beneath, or under the second location. And, thesecond location can be considered to be disposed higher than, above, orupward from the first location. A longitudinal measurement may also bereferred to as a height, measured above the horizontal support surface100.

A measurement that is made parallel to the third centerline 117 isreferred to a thickness or depth. A disposition in the direction of thethird centerline 117 and toward a front 102-1 of the container isreferred to as forward 118 or in front of. A disposition in thedirection of the third centerline 117 and toward a back 102-2 of thecontainer is referred to as backward 119 or behind.

These terms for direction, orientation, measurement, and disposition, asdescribed above, are used for all of the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, whether or not a support surface, reference line, orcoordinate system is shown in a figure.

The container 100 includes a top 104, a middle 106, and a bottom 108,the front 102-1, the back 102-2, and left and right sides 109. The top104 is separated from the middle 106 by a reference plane 105, which isparallel to the XZ plane. The middle 106 is separated from the bottom108 by a reference plane 107, which is also parallel to the XZ plane.The container 100 has an overall height of 100-oh. In the embodiment ofFIG. 1A, the front 102-1 and the back 102-2 of the container are joinedtogether at a seal 129, which extends around the outer periphery of thecontainer 100, across the top 104, down the side 109, and then, at thebottom of each side 109, splits outward to follow the front and backportions of the base 190, around their outer extents.

The container 100 includes a structural support frame 140, a productvolume 150, a dispenser 160, panels 180-1 and 180-2, and a basestructure 190. A portion of panel 180-1 is illustrated as broken away,in order to show the product volume 150. The product volume 150 isconfigured to contain one or more fluent products. The dispenser 160allows the container 100 to dispense these fluent product(s) from theproduct volume 150 through a flow channel 159 then through the dispenser160, to the environment outside of the container 100. In the embodimentof FIGS. 1A-1D, the dispenser 160 is disposed in the center of theuppermost part of the top 104, however, in various alternateembodiments, the dispenser 160 can be disposed anywhere else on the top140, middle 106, or bottom 108, including anywhere on either of thesides 109, on either of the panels 180-1 and 180-2, and on any part ofthe base 190 of the container 100. The structural support frame 140supports the mass of fluent product(s) in the product volume 150, andmakes the container 100 stand upright. The panels 180-1 and 180-2 arerelatively flat surfaces, overlaying the product volume 150, and aresuitable for displaying any kind of indicia. However, in variousembodiments, part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, orsubstantially all, or nearly all, or all of either or both of the panels180-1 and 180-2 can include one or more curved surfaces. The basestructure 190 supports the structural support frame 140 and providesstability to the container 100 as it stands upright.

The structural support frame 140 is formed by a plurality of structuralsupport members. The structural support frame 140 includes topstructural support members 144-1 and 144-2, middle structural supportmembers 146-1, 146-2, 146-3, and 146-4, as well as bottom structuralsupport members 148-1 and 148-2.

The top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 are disposed on theupper part of the top 104 of the container 100, with the top structuralsupport member 144-1 disposed in the front 102-1 and the top structuralsupport member 144-2 disposed in the back 102-2, behind the topstructural support member 144-1. The top structural support members144-1 and 144-2 are adjacent to each other and can be in contact witheach other along the laterally outboard portions of their lengths. Invarious embodiments, the top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2can be in contact with each other at one or more relatively smallerlocations and/or at one or more relatively larger locations, along part,or parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all, ornearly all, or all of their overall lengths, so long as there is a flowchannel 159 between the top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2,which allows the container 100 to dispense fluent product(s) from theproduct volume 150 through the flow channel 159 then through thedispenser 160. The top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 arenot directly connected to each other. However, in various alternateembodiments, the top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 can bedirectly connected and/or joined together along part, or parts, or aboutall, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or allof their overall lengths.

The top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 are disposedsubstantially above the product volume 150. Overall, each of the topstructural support members 144-1 and 144-2 is oriented abouthorizontally, but with its ends curved slightly downward. And, overalleach of the top structural support members 144-1 and 144-2 has across-sectional area that is substantially uniform along its length;however the cross-sectional area at their ends are slightly larger thanthe cross-sectional area in their middles.

The middle structural support members 146-1, 146-2, 146-3, and 146-4 aredisposed on the left and right sides 109, from the top 104, through themiddle 106, to the bottom 108. The middle structural support member146-1 is disposed in the front 102-1, on the left side 109; the middlestructural support member 146-4 is disposed in the back 102-2, on theleft side 109, behind the middle structural support member 146-1. Themiddle structural support members 146-1 and 146-4 are adjacent to eachother and can be in contact with each other along substantially all oftheir lengths. In various embodiments, the middle structural supportmembers 146-1 and 146-4 can be in contact with each other at one or morerelatively smaller locations and/or at one or more relatively largerlocations, along part, or parts, or about all, or approximately all, orsubstantially all, or nearly all, or all of their overall lengths. Themiddle structural support members 146-1 and 146-4 are not directlyconnected to each other. However, in various alternate embodiments, themiddle structural support members 146-1 and 146-4 can be directlyconnected and/or joined together along part, or parts, or about all, orapproximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of theiroverall lengths.

The middle structural support member 146-2 is disposed in the front102-1, on the right side 109; the middle structural support member 146-3is disposed in the back 102-2, on the right side 109, behind the middlestructural support member 146-2. The middle structural support members146-2 and 146-3 are adjacent to each other and can be in contact witheach other along substantially all of their lengths. In variousembodiments, the middle structural support members 146-2 and 146-3 canbe in contact with each other at one or more relatively smallerlocations and/or at one or more relatively larger locations, along part,or parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all, ornearly all, or all of their overall lengths. The middle structuralsupport members 146-2 and 146-3 are not directly connected to eachother. However, in various alternate embodiments, the middle structuralsupport members 146-2 and 146-3 can be directly connected and/or joinedtogether along part, or parts, or about all, or approximately all, orsubstantially all, or nearly all, or all of their overall lengths.

The middle structural support members 146-1, 146-2, 146-3, and 146-4 aredisposed substantially laterally outboard from the product volume 150.Overall, each of the middle structural support members 146-1, 146-2,146-3, and 146-4 is oriented about vertically, but angled slightly, withits upper end laterally inboard to its lower end. And, overall each ofthe middle structural support members 146-1, 146-2, 146-3, and 146-4 hasa cross-sectional area that changes along its length, increasing in sizefrom its upper end to its lower end.

The bottom structural support members 148-1 and 148-2 are disposed onthe bottom 108 of the container 100, with the bottom structural supportmember 148-1 disposed in the front 102-1 and the bottom structuralsupport member 148-2 disposed in the back 102-2, behind the topstructural support member 148-1. The bottom structural support members148-1 and 148-2 are adjacent to each other and can be in contact witheach other along substantially all of their lengths. In variousembodiments, the bottom structural support members 148-1 and 148-2 canbe in contact with each other at one or more relatively smallerlocations and/or at one or more relatively larger locations, along part,or parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all, ornearly all, or all of their overall lengths. The bottom structuralsupport members 148-1 and 148-2 are not directly connected to eachother. However, in various alternate embodiments, the bottom structuralsupport members 148-1 and 148-2 can be directly connected and/or joinedtogether along part, or parts, or about all, or approximately all, orsubstantially all, or nearly all, or all of their overall lengths.

The bottom structural support members 148-1 and 148-2 are disposedsubstantially below the product volume 150, but substantially above thebase structure 190. Overall, each of the bottom structural supportmembers 148-1 and 148-2 is oriented about horizontally, but with itsends curved slightly upward. And, overall each of the bottom structuralsupport members 148-1 and 148-2 has a cross-sectional area that issubstantially uniform along its length.

In the front portion of the structural support frame 140, the left endof the top structural support member 144-1 is joined to the upper end ofthe middle structural support member 146-1; the lower end of the middlestructural support member 146-1 is joined to the left end of the bottomstructural support member 148-1; the right end of the bottom structuralsupport member 148-1 is joined to the lower end of the middle structuralsupport member 146-2; and the upper end of the middle structural supportmember 146-2 is joined to the right end of the top structural supportmember 144-1. Similarly, in the back portion of the structural supportframe 140, the left end of the top structural support member 144-2 isjoined to the upper end of the middle structural support member 146-4;the lower end of the middle structural support member 146-4 is joined tothe left end of the bottom structural support member 148-2; the rightend of the bottom structural support member 148-2 is joined to the lowerend of the middle structural support member 146-3; and the upper end ofthe middle structural support member 146-3 is joined to the right end ofthe top structural support member 144-2. In the structural support frame140, the ends of the structural support members, which are joinedtogether, are directly connected, all around the periphery of theirwalls. However, in various alternative embodiments, any of thestructural support members 144-1, 144-2, 146-1, 146-2, 146-3, 146-4,148-1, and 148-2 can be joined together in any way described herein orknown in the art.

In alternative embodiments of the structural support frame 140, adjacentstructural support members can be combined into a single structuralsupport member, wherein the combined structural support member caneffectively substitute for the adjacent structural support members, astheir functions and connections are described herein. In otheralternative embodiments of the structural support frame 140, one or moreadditional structural support members can be added to the structuralsupport members in the structural support frame 140, wherein theexpanded structural support frame can effectively substitute for thestructural support frame 140, as its functions and connections aredescribed herein. Also, in some alternative embodiments, a flexiblecontainer may not include a base structure.

FIG. 1B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container 100of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C illustrates a top view of the stand up flexible container 100 ofFIG. 1A.

FIG. 1D illustrates a bottom view of the stand up flexible container 100of FIG. 1A.

FIGS. 2A-8D illustrate embodiments of stand up flexible containershaving various overall shapes. Any of the embodiments of FIGS. 2A-8D canbe configured according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein,including the embodiments of FIGS. 1A-1D. Any of the elements (e.g.structural support frames, structural support members, panels,dispensers, etc.) of the embodiments of FIGS. 2A-8D, can be configuredaccording to any of the embodiments disclosed herein. While each of theembodiments of FIGS. 2A-8D illustrates a container with one dispenser,in various embodiments, each container can include multiple dispensers,according to any embodiment described herein. FIGS. 2A-8D illustrateexemplary additional/alternate locations for dispenser with phantom lineoutlines. Part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, orsubstantially all, or nearly all, or all of each of the panels in theembodiments of FIGS. 2A-8D is suitable to display any kind of indicia.Each of the side panels in the embodiments of FIGS. 2A-8D is configuredto be a nonstructural panel, overlaying product volume(s) disposedwithin the flexible container, however, in various embodiments, one ormore of any kind of decorative or structural element (such as a rib,protruding from an outer surface) can be joined to part, parts, or aboutall, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or allof any of these side panels. For clarity, not all structural details ofthese flexible containers are shown in FIGS. 2A-8D, however any of theembodiments of FIGS. 2A-8D can be configured to include any structure orfeature for flexible containers, disclosed herein. For example, any ofthe embodiments of FIGS. 2A-8D can be configured to include any kind ofbase structure disclosed herein.

FIG. 2A illustrates a front view of a stand up flexible container 200having a structural support frame 240 that has an overall shape like afrustum. In the embodiment of FIG. 2A, the frustum shape is based on afour-sided pyramid, however, in various embodiments, the frustum shapecan be based on a pyramid with a different number of sides, or thefrustum shape can be based on a cone. The support frame 240 is formed bystructural support members disposed along the edges of the frustum shapeand joined together at their ends. The structural support members definea rectangular shaped top panel 280-t, trapezoidal shaped side panels280-1, 280-2, 280-3, and 280-4, and a rectangular shaped bottom panel(not shown). Each of the side panels 280-1, 280-2, 280-3, and 280-4 isabout flat, however in various embodiments, part, parts, or about all,or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of anyof the side panels can be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearlyflat, or completely flat. The container 200 includes a dispenser 260,which is configured to dispense one or more fluent products from one ormore product volumes disposed within the container 200. In theembodiment of FIG. 2A, the dispenser 260 is disposed in the center ofthe top panel 280-t, however, in various alternate embodiments, thedispenser 260 can be disposed anywhere else on the top, sides, orbottom, of the container 200, according to any embodiment described orillustrated herein. FIG. 2B illustrates a front view of the container200 of FIG. 2A, including exemplary additional/alternate locations for adispenser, any of which can also apply to the back of the container.FIG. 2C illustrates a side view of the container 200 of FIG. 2A,including exemplary additional/alternate locations for a dispenser(shown as phantom lines), any of which can apply to either side of thecontainer. FIG. 2D illustrates an isometric view of the container 200 ofFIG. 2A.

FIG. 3A illustrates a front view of a stand up flexible container 300having a structural support frame 340 that has an overall shape like apyramid. In the embodiment of FIG. 3A, the pyramid shape is based on afour-sided pyramid, however, in various embodiments, the pyramid shapecan be based on a pyramid with a different number of sides. The supportframe 340 is formed by structural support members disposed along theedges of the pyramid shape and joined together at their ends. Thestructural support members define triangular shaped side panels 380-1,380-2, 380-3, and 380-4, and a square shaped bottom panel (not shown).Each of the side panels 380-1, 380-2, 380-3, and 380-4 is about flat,however in various embodiments, part, parts, or about all, orapproximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of any ofthe side panels can be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearlyflat, or completely flat. The container 300 includes a dispenser 360,which is configured to dispense one or more fluent products from one ormore product volumes disposed within the container 300. In theembodiment of FIG. 3A, the dispenser 360 is disposed at the apex of thepyramid shape, however, in various alternate embodiments, the dispenser360 can be disposed anywhere else on the top, sides, or bottom, of thecontainer 300. FIG. 3B illustrates a front view of the container 300 ofFIG. 3A, including exemplary additional/alternate locations for adispenser (shown as phantom lines), any of which can also apply to anyside of the container. FIG. 3C illustrates a side view of the container300 of FIG. 3A. FIG. 3D illustrates an isometric view of the container300 of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4A illustrates a front view of a stand up flexible container 400having a structural support frame 440 that has an overall shape like atrigonal prism. In the embodiment of FIG. 4A, the prism shape is basedon a triangle. The support frame 440 is formed by structural supportmembers disposed along the edges of the prism shape and joined togetherat their ends. The structural support members define a triangular shapedtop panel 480-t, rectangular shaped side panels 480-1, 480-2, and 480-3,and a triangular shaped bottom panel (not shown). Each of the sidepanels 480-1, 480-2, and 480-3 is about flat, however in variousembodiments, part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, orsubstantially all, or nearly all, or all of the side panels can beapproximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completely flat.The container 400 includes a dispenser 460, which is configured todispense one or more fluent products from one or more product volumesdisposed within the container 400. In the embodiment of FIG. 4A, thedispenser 460 is disposed in the center of the top panel 480-t, however,in various alternate embodiments, the dispenser 460 can be disposedanywhere else on the top, sides, or bottom, of the container 400. FIG.4B illustrates a front view of the container 400 of FIG. 4A, includingexemplary additional/alternate locations for a dispenser (shown asphantom lines), any of which can also apply to any side of the container400. FIG. 4C illustrates a side view of the container 400 of FIG. 4A.FIG. 4D illustrates an isometric view of the container 400 of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5A illustrates a front view of a stand up flexible container 500having a structural support frame 540 that has an overall shape like atetragonal prism. In the embodiment of FIG. 5A, the prism shape is basedon a square. The support frame 540 is formed by structural supportmembers disposed along the edges of the prism shape and joined togetherat their ends. The structural support members define a square shaped toppanel 580-t, rectangular shaped side panels 580-1, 580-2, 580-3, and580-4, and a square shaped bottom panel (not shown). Each of the sidepanels 580-1, 580-2, 580-3, and 580-4 is about flat, however in variousembodiments, part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, orsubstantially all, or nearly all, or all of any of the side panels canbe approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completelyflat. The container 500 includes a dispenser 560, which is configured todispense one or more fluent products from one or more product volumesdisposed within the container 500. In the embodiment of FIG. 5A, thedispenser 560 is disposed in the center of the top panel 580-t, however,in various alternate embodiments, the dispenser 560 can be disposedanywhere else on the top, sides, or bottom, of the container 500. FIG.5B illustrates a front view of the container 500 of FIG. 5A, includingexemplary additional/alternate locations for a dispenser (shown asphantom lines), any of which can also apply to any side of the container500. FIG. 5C illustrates a side view of the container 500 of FIG. 5A.FIG. 5D illustrates an isometric view of the container 500 of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6A illustrates a front view of a stand up flexible container 600having a structural support frame 640 that has an overall shape like apentagonal prism. In the embodiment of FIG. 6A, the prism shape is basedon a pentagon. The support frame 640 is formed by structural supportmembers disposed along the edges of the prism shape and joined togetherat their ends. The structural support members define a pentagon shapedtop panel 680-t, rectangular shaped side panels 680-1, 680-2, 680-3,680-4, and 680-5, and a pentagon shaped bottom panel (not shown). Eachof the side panels 680-1, 680-2, 680-3, 680-4, and 680-5 is about flat,however in various embodiments, part, parts, or about all, orapproximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of any ofthe side panels can be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearlyflat, or completely flat. The container 600 includes a dispenser 660,which is configured to dispense one or more fluent products from one ormore product volumes disposed within the container 600. In theembodiment of FIG. 6A, the dispenser 660 is disposed in the center ofthe top panel 680-t, however, in various alternate embodiments, thedispenser 660 can be disposed anywhere else on the top, sides, orbottom, of the container 600. FIG. 6B illustrates a front view of thecontainer 600 of FIG. 6A, including exemplary additional/alternatelocations for a dispenser (shown as phantom lines), any of which canalso apply to any side of the container 600. FIG. 6C illustrates a sideview of the container 600 of FIG. 6A. FIG. 6D illustrates an isometricview of the container 600 of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7A illustrates a front view of a stand up flexible container 700having a structural support frame 740 that has an overall shape like acone. The support frame 740 is formed by curved structural supportmembers disposed around the base of the cone and by straight structuralsupport members extending linearly from the base to the apex, whereinthe structural support members are joined together at their ends. Thestructural support members define curved somewhat triangular shaped sidepanels 780-1, 780-2, and 780-3, and a circular shaped bottom panel (notshown). Each of the side panels 780-1, 780-2, and 780-3, is curved,however in various embodiments, part, parts, or about all, orapproximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of any ofthe side panels can be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearlyflat, or completely flat. The container 700 includes a dispenser 760,which is configured to dispense one or more fluent products from one ormore product volumes disposed within the container 700. In theembodiment of FIG. 7A, the dispenser 760 is disposed at the apex of theconical shape, however, in various alternate embodiments, the dispenser760 can be disposed anywhere else on the top, sides, or bottom, of thecontainer 700. FIG. 7B illustrates a front view of the container 700 ofFIG. 7A. FIG. 7C illustrates a side view of the container 700 of FIG.7A, including exemplary additional/alternate locations for a dispenser(shown as phantom lines), any of which can also apply to any side panelof the container 700. FIG. 7D illustrates an isometric view of thecontainer 700 of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8A illustrates a front view of a stand up flexible container 800having a structural support frame 840 that has an overall shape like acylinder. The support frame 840 is formed by curved structural supportmembers disposed around the top and bottom of the cylinder and bystraight structural support members extending linearly from the top tothe bottom, wherein the structural support members are joined togetherat their ends. The structural support members define a circular shapedtop panel 880-t, curved somewhat rectangular shaped side panels 880-1,880-2, 880-3, and 880-4, and a circular shaped bottom panel (not shown).Each of the side panels 880-1, 880-2, 880-3, and 880-4, is curved,however in various embodiments, part, parts, or about all, orapproximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of any ofthe side panels can be approximately flat, substantially flat, nearlyflat, or completely flat. The container 800 includes a dispenser 860,which is configured to dispense one or more fluent products from one ormore product volumes disposed within the container 800. In theembodiment of FIG. 8A, the dispenser 860 is disposed in the center ofthe top panel 880-t, however, in various alternate embodiments, thedispenser 860 can be disposed anywhere else on the top, sides, orbottom, of the container 800. FIG. 8B illustrates a front view of thecontainer 800 of FIG. 8A, including exemplary additional/alternatelocations for a dispenser (shown as phantom lines), any of which canalso apply to any side panel of the container 800. FIG. 8C illustrates aside view of the container 800 of FIG. 8A. FIG. 8D illustrates anisometric view of the container 800 of FIG. 8A.

In additional embodiments, any stand up flexible container with astructural support frame, as disclosed herein, can be configured to havean overall shape that corresponds with any other known three-dimensionalshape, including any kind of polyhedron, any kind of prismatoid, and anykind of prism (including right prisms and uniform prisms).

FIG. 9A illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a self-supportingflexible container 900, having an overall shape like a square. FIG. 9Billustrates an end view of the flexible container 900 of FIG. 9A. Thecontainer 900 is resting on a horizontal support surface 901.

In FIG. 9B, a coordinate system 910, provides lines of reference forreferring to directions in the figure. The coordinate system 910 is athree-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, with an X-axis, a Y-axis,and a Z-axis. The X-axis and the Z-axis are parallel with the horizontalsupport surface 901 and the Y-axis is perpendicular to the horizontalsupport surface 901.

FIG. 9A also includes other lines of reference, for referring todirections and locations with respect to the container 100. A lateralcenterline 911 runs parallel to the X-axis. An XY plane at the lateralcenterline 911 separates the container 100 into a front half and a backhalf. An XZ plane at the lateral centerline 911 separates the container100 into an upper half and a lower half. A longitudinal centerline 914runs parallel to the Y-axis. A YZ plane at the longitudinal centerline914 separates the container 900 into a left half and a right half. Athird centerline 917 runs parallel to the Z-axis. The lateral centerline911, the longitudinal centerline 914, and the third centerline 917 allintersect at a center of the container 900. These terms for direction,orientation, measurement, and disposition, in the embodiment of FIGS.9A-9B are the same as the like-numbered terms in the embodiment of FIGS.1A-1D.

The container 900 includes a top 904, a middle 906, and a bottom 908,the front 902-1, the back 902-2, and left and right sides 909. In theembodiment of FIGS. 9A-9B, the upper half and the lower half of thecontainer are joined together at a seal 929, which extends around theouter periphery of the container 900. The bottom of the container 900 isconfigured in the same way as the top of the container 900.

The container 900 includes a structural support frame 940, a productvolume 950, a dispenser 960, a top panel 980-t and a bottom panel (notshown). A portion of the top panel 980-t is illustrated as broken away,in order to show the product volume 950. The product volume 950 isconfigured to contain one or more fluent products. The dispenser 960allows the container 900 to dispense these fluent product(s) from theproduct volume 950 through a flow channel 959 then through the dispenser960, to the environment outside of the container 900. The structuralsupport frame 940 supports the mass of fluent product(s) in the productvolume 950. The top panel 980-t and the bottom panel are relatively flatsurfaces, overlaying the product volume 950, and are suitable fordisplaying any kind of indicia.

The structural support frame 940 is formed by a plurality of structuralsupport members. The structural support frame 940 includes frontstructural support members 943-1 and 943-2, intermediate structuralsupport members 945-1, 945-2, 945-3, and 945-4, as well as backstructural support members 947-1 and 947-2. Overall, each of thestructural support members in the container 900 is orientedhorizontally. And, each of the structural support members in thecontainer 900 has a cross-sectional area that is substantially uniformalong its length, although in various embodiments, this cross-sectionalarea can vary.

Upper structural support members 943-1, 945-1, 945-2, and 947-1 aredisposed in an upper part of the middle 906 and in the top 904, whilelower structural support members 943-2, 945-4, 945-3, and 947-2 aredisposed in a lower part of the middle 906 and in the bottom 908. Theupper structural support members 943-1, 945-1, 945-2, and 947-1 aredisposed above and adjacent to the lower structural support members943-2, 945-4, 945-3, and 947-2, respectively.

In various embodiments, adjacent upper and lower structural supportmembers can be in contact with each other at one or more relativelysmaller locations and/or at one or more relatively larger locations,along part, or parts, or about all, or approximately all, orsubstantially all, or nearly all, or all of their overall lengths, solong as there is a gap in the contact for the flow channel 959, betweenthe structural support members 943-1 and 943-2. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 9A-9B, the upper and lower structural support members are notdirectly connected to each other. However, in various alternateembodiments, adjacent upper and lower structural support members can bedirectly connected and/or joined together along part, or parts, or aboutall, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or allof their overall lengths.

The ends of structural support members 943-1, 945-2, 947-1, and 945-1are joined together to form a top square that is outward from andsurrounding the product volume 950, and the ends of structural supportmembers 943-2, 945-3, 947-2, and 945-4 are also joined together to forma bottom square that is outward from and surrounding the product volume950. In the structural support frame 940, the ends of the structuralsupport members, which are joined together, are directly connected, allaround the periphery of their walls. However, in various alternativeembodiments, any of the structural support members of the embodiment ofFIGS. 9A-9B can be joined together in any way described herein or knownin the art.

In alternative embodiments of the structural support frame 940, adjacentstructural support members can be combined into a single structuralsupport member, wherein the combined structural support member caneffectively substitute for the adjacent structural support members, astheir functions and connections are described herein. In otheralternative embodiments of the structural support frame 940, one or moreadditional structural support members can be added to the structuralsupport members in the structural support frame 940, wherein theexpanded structural support frame can effectively substitute for thestructural support frame 940, as its functions and connections aredescribed herein.

FIGS. 10A-11B illustrate embodiments of self-supporting flexiblecontainers (that are not stand up containers) having various overallshapes. Any of the embodiments of FIGS. 10A-11B can be configuredaccording to any of the embodiments disclosed herein, including theembodiments of FIGS. 9A-9B. Any of the elements (e.g. structural supportframes, structural support members, panels, dispensers, etc.) of theembodiments of FIGS. 10A-11B, can be configured according to any of theembodiments disclosed herein. While each of the embodiments of FIGS.10A-11B illustrates a container with one dispenser, in variousembodiments, each container can include multiple dispensers, accordingto any embodiment described herein. Part, parts, or about all, orapproximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of eachof the panels in the embodiments of FIGS. 10A-11B is suitable to displayany kind of indicia. Each of the top and bottom panels in theembodiments of FIGS. 10A-11B is configured to be a nonstructural panel,overlaying product volume(s) disposed within the flexible container,however, in various embodiments, one or more of any kind of decorativeor structural element (such as a rib, protruding from an outer surface)can be joined to part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, orsubstantially all, or nearly all, or all of any of these panels. Forclarity, not all structural details of these flexible containers areshown in FIGS. 10A-11B, however any of the embodiments of FIGS. 10A-11Bcan be configured to include any structure or feature for flexiblecontainers, disclosed herein.

FIG. 10A illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a self-supportingflexible container 1000 (that is not a stand up flexible container)having a product volume 1050 and an overall shape like a triangle.However, in various embodiments, a self-supporting flexible containercan have an overall shape like a polygon having any number of sides. Thesupport frame 1040 is formed by structural support members disposedalong the edges of the triangular shape and joined together at theirends. The structural support members define a triangular shaped toppanel 1080-t, and a triangular shaped bottom panel (not shown). The toppanel 1080-t and the bottom panel are about flat, however in variousembodiments, part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, orsubstantially all, or nearly all, or all of any of the side panels canbe approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completelyflat. The container 1000 includes a dispenser 1060, which is configuredto dispense one or more fluent products from one or more product volumesdisposed within the container 1000. In the embodiment of FIG. 10A, thedispenser 1060 is disposed in the center of the front, however, invarious alternate embodiments, the dispenser 1060 can be disposedanywhere else on the top, sides, or bottom, of the container 1000. FIG.10A includes exemplary additional/alternate locations for a dispenser(shown as phantom lines). FIG. 10B illustrates an end view of theflexible container 1000 of FIG. 10B, resting on a horizontal supportsurface 1001.

FIG. 11A illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a self-supportingflexible container 1100 (that is not a stand up flexible container)having a product volume 1150 and an overall shape like a circle. Thesupport frame 1140 is formed by structural support members disposedaround the circumference of the circular shape and joined together attheir ends. The structural support members define a circular shaped toppanel 1180-t, and a circular shaped bottom panel (not shown). The toppanel 1180-t and the bottom panel are about flat, however in variousembodiments, part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, orsubstantially all, or nearly all, or all of any of the side panels canbe approximately flat, substantially flat, nearly flat, or completelyflat. The container 1100 includes a dispenser 1160, which is configuredto dispense one or more fluent products from one or more product volumesdisposed within the container 1100. In the embodiment of FIG. 11A, thedispenser 1160 is disposed in the center of the front, however, invarious alternate embodiments, the dispenser 1160 can be disposedanywhere else on the top, sides, or bottom, of the container 1100. FIG.11A includes exemplary additional/alternate locations for a dispenser(shown as phantom lines). FIG. 11B illustrates an end view of theflexible container 1100 of FIG. 10B, resting on a horizontal supportsurface 1101.

In additional embodiments, any self-supporting container with astructural support frame, as disclosed herein, can be configured to havean overall shape that corresponds with any other known three-dimensionalshape. For example, any self-supporting container with a structuralsupport frame, as disclosed herein, can be configured to have an overallshape (when observed from a top view) that corresponds with a rectangle,a polygon (having any number of sides), an oval, an ellipse, a star, orany other shape, or combinations of any of these.

FIGS. 12A-14C illustrate various exemplary dispensers, which can be usedwith the flexible containers disclosed herein. FIG. 12A illustrates anisometric view of push-pull type dispenser 1260-a. FIG. 12B illustratesan isometric view of dispenser with a flip-top cap 1260-b. FIG. 12Cillustrates an isometric view of dispenser with a screw-on cap 1260-c.FIG. 12D illustrates an isometric view of rotatable type dispenser1260-d. FIG. 12E illustrates an isometric view of nozzle type dispenserwith a cap 1260-d. FIG. 13A illustrates an isometric view of strawdispenser 1360-a. FIG. 13B illustrates an isometric view of strawdispenser with a lid 1360-b. FIG. 13C illustrates an isometric view offlip up straw dispenser 1360-c. FIG. 13D illustrates an isometric viewof straw dispenser with bite valve 1360-d. FIG. 14A illustrates anisometric view of pump type dispenser 1460-a, which can, in variousembodiments be a foaming pump type dispenser. FIG. 14B illustrates anisometric view of pump spray type dispenser 1460-b. FIG. 14C illustratesan isometric view of trigger spray type dispenser 1460-c.

Embodiments of the present disclosure can be configured to includemultiple product volumes.

In a first set of embodiments, an article of manufacture can beconfigured to include a first disposable self-supporting flexiblecontainer having a first structural support frame and a first productvolume, wherein the first structural frame is configured to support thefirst product volume; and a second disposable flexible container havinga second product volume (and which may or may not have a structuralsupport frame); wherein the first container is joined to the secondcontainer. In this first set of embodiments, neither, either or both ofthese flexible containers can be configured to be stand up containers.In variations of this first set of embodiments, any of these articlescan be configured to include any number of product volumes, any of whichcan be joined together, in any manner disclosed herein. Any part, parts,or all of any embodiment in this first set of embodiments can beconfigured according to any embodiment of the present disclosure, in anyworkable combination.

In a second set of embodiments, a non-durable self-supporting flexiblecontainer can be configured to include a first product volume; a secondproduct volume; and a structural support frame, configured to supportboth the first product volume and the second product volume. In thissecond set of embodiments, any of these flexible containers can beconfigured to be stand up containers. In variations of this second setof embodiments, any of these articles can be configured to include anynumber of product volumes, each supported by the structural supportframe, in any manner disclosed herein. Any part, parts, or all of anyembodiment in this second set of embodiments can be configured accordingto any embodiment of the present disclosure, in any workablecombination.

In a third set of embodiments, a disposable self-supporting flexiblecontainer can be configured to include a first product volume, whichdirectly contains a first fluent product; a second product volume, whichdirectly contains a second fluent product that differs from the firstfluent product; and a structural support frame, configured to supporteither or both of the product volumes. In this second set ofembodiments, any of these flexible containers can be configured to bestand up containers. In variations of this third set of embodiments, anyof these flexible containers can be configured to include any number ofproduct volumes, each with a different fluent product, in any mannerdisclosed herein. Any part, parts, or all of any embodiment in thisthird set of embodiments can be configured according to any embodimentof the present disclosure, in any workable combination.

In a fourth set of embodiments, a non-durable self-supporting flexiblecontainer can be configured to include: a first product volume, whichdirectly contains a first fluent product; a second product volume, whichdirectly contains a second fluent product that differs from the firstfluent product; and a structural support frame, configured to supportboth the first product volume and the second product volume; and onlyone dispenser. In this fourth set of embodiments, any of these flexiblecontainers can be configured to be stand up containers. In variations ofthis fourth set of embodiments, any of these flexible containers can beconfigured to include any number of product volumes, each with adifferent fluent product, in any manner disclosed herein. Any part,parts, or all of any embodiment in this fourth set of embodiments can beconfigured according to any embodiment of the present disclosure, in anyworkable combination.

In embodiments with multiple product volumes, any of the product volumesand any of the mixing volumes can have any size disclosed herein.Various embodiments of an article of manufacture and/or a flexiblecontainer (self-supporting only or stand up), can be configured with oneor more product volumes and/or one or more mixing volumes that aresingle dose volumes and/or one or more product volumes and/or one ormore mixing volumes that are multiple dose volumes. Various embodimentsof an article of manufacture and/or a flexible container(self-supporting only or stand up), can be configured with one or moreproduct volumes that are sized in relationship to each other, forexample, in relation to their expected use (independently and/or incombination).

As a particular example, a flexible container can include one or moresmaller product volumes containing one or more fluent products that areadditives (configured to be combined with a base composition), as wellas one or more larger product volumes and/or mixing volumes, whichcontain a fluent product that is the base composition, wherein thefluent products from the smaller product volumes can be selectivelyadded to the base composition by an end user (e.g. by opening a flowchannel or by breaking open a frangible seal).

In embodiments with multiple product volumes, for product volumes thatare disposed proximate to each other and/or adjacent to each otherand/or in contact with each other, their fluent products can be keptseparate by the material(s) that define their spaces and/or by one ormore rigid materials and/or one or more flexible materials (such asthose disclosed herein), which can also act as a barrier between theproduct volumes. In any embodiment of article and/or flexible container(self-supporting only or stand up) disclosed herein, a wall thatseparates product volumes can be configured as a frangible wall, whichcan be broken open through application of outside forces (e.g. by an enduser squeezing and/or compressing the outside portions of the containerthat are proximate to the frangible wall), to allow fluent products fromthose (previously separated) product volumes to mix together.

In embodiments with multiple product volumes, any of the product volumesand any of the mixing volumes can be configured to include one or moreof any fluent product disclosed herein. Various embodiments of anarticle of manufacture and/or a flexible container (self-supporting onlyor stand up), can be configured with multiple product volumes whereineach product volume contains a different fluent product. Following, areexamples of a first and second fluent products, which can be provided(respectively) in first and second product volumes of a flexiblecontainer.

As a first example, a first fluent product can be a compositionessentially made from a defined group of ingredients combined in a firstapportionment, and a second fluent product can be a compositionessentially made from the same defined group of ingredients combined ina second apportionment, which differs from the first apportionment.

As a second example, a first fluent product can be a compositionessentially made from a defined group of active ingredients and a firstadditive, and a second fluent product can be a composition essentiallymade from the same defined group of active ingredients and a secondadditive, which differs from the first additive.

As a third example, a first fluent product can be a first additive(configured to be combined with a base composition) and a second fluentproduct can be a second additive (also configured to be combined withthe same base composition), which differs from the first additive. Invarious embodiments, these first and second additives can bedistinguishing additives, which create compositions that are distinctlydifferent from each other when they are combined with the basecompositions. Distinguishing additives can create base compositions withdistinctly different appearances, fragrances, flavors, etc.

As a fourth example, a first fluent product can be a base compositionand a second fluent product can be an additive configured to be combinedwith the base composition.

As a fifth example, a first fluent product and a second fluent productcan be co-reactive with each other.

Following are other various embodiments for first and second fluentproducts. A first fluent product and a second fluent product can each bea grooming composition, such as a depilatory and an aftershave. A firstfluent product and a second fluent product can each be a beauty carecomposition, such as a shampoo and a conditioner. A first fluent productand a second fluent product can each be a personal care composition,such as a deodorant and an antiperspirant. A first fluent product and asecond fluent product can each be a personal care composition, such as adeodorant and an antiperspirant. A first fluent product and a secondfluent product can each be a cosmetics composition, such as acompositions used in different steps of a multi-step applicationprocess. A first fluent product and a second fluent product can each bea fabric care composition, such as a detergent and a fabric softener. Afirst fluent product and a second fluent product can each be an oralcare composition, such as a toothpaste and a mouthwash. A first fluentproduct and a second fluent product can each be a dish care composition,such as a dish soap and rinse aid. A first fluent product and a secondfluent product can each be a medicament or a pharmaceutical, such as apharmaceutical intended for daytime use, and a pharmaceutical intendedfor nighttime use. A first fluent product and a second fluent productcan each be different fragrances, different foods, different beverages,etc.

In embodiments with multiple product volumes, any of the product volumesand any of the mixing volumes can be configured with any number of anykind of dispenser configured in any manner disclosed herein. Variousembodiments of an article of manufacture and/or a flexible container(self-supporting only or stand up), can be configured with one or moreproduct volumes and/or one or more mixing volumes, wherein such a volumeincludes only one, or more than one dispenser. Various embodiments of anarticle of manufacture and/or a flexible container (self-supporting onlyor stand up), can be configured, wherein the article and/or thecontainer includes only one, or more than one dispenser. In variousembodiments of an article of manufacture and/or a flexible container(self-supporting only or stand up), different product volumes can havedispensers having different flow rates. For example, different productvolumes can have dispensers with flow rates that are sized for thedifferent fluent products in those product volumes, with differencesbased on various factors such as product viscosity, size of dose, orexpected rate of use (independently and/or in combination).

FIGS. 15A-39B illustrate embodiments of stand up flexible containers,which are configured with structural support frames and multiple productvolumes. FIGS. 15A-39B illustrate embodiments of stand up flexiblecontainers having structural support frames that each have an overallshape like a frustum, such as in the embodiment of FIGS. 2A-2D.Alternatively, any of the embodiments of FIGS. 15A-39B can have astructural support frame that has an overall shape configured accordingto any of the embodiments disclosed herein, including the embodiments ofFIGS. 3A-8D, and any of their alternate embodiments. Any of the elements(e.g. structural support frames, structural support members, panels,dispensers, etc.) of the embodiments of FIGS. 15A-39B, can be configuredaccording to any of the embodiments disclosed herein. While each of theembodiments of FIGS. 15A-39B illustrates a container with a particularnumber of product volumes and dispensers, in various embodiments, eachcontainer can include various numbers of product volumes and variousnumbers of dispensers, each configured according to any embodimentdescribed herein. The embodiments of FIGS. 15A-39B include nonstructuralpanels, disposed between the structural support members that form theirstructural support frames (as described herein), and part, parts, orabout all, or approximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, orall of each of the panels in the embodiments of FIGS. 15A-39B issuitable to display any kind of indicia, and to be configured in any waydescribed herein. Throughout FIGS. 15A-39B, portions of panels areillustrated as broken away, in order to show product volumes. Forclarity, not all structural details of these flexible containers areshown in FIGS. 15A-39B, however any of the embodiments of FIGS. 15A-39Bcan be configured to include any structure or feature for flexiblecontainers, disclosed herein. For example, any of the embodiments ofFIGS. 15A-39B can be configured to include any kind of base structuredisclosed herein.

FIG. 15A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 1500 having a structural support frame 1540 and twoproduct volumes 1550-1 and 1550-2 disposed side by side, separated by avertical wall 1555, with dispensers 1560-1 and 1560-2 on the top (oralternatively, on the bottom) of the container 1500. The dispenser1560-1 is in fluid communication with the product volume 1550-1 and thedispenser 1560-2 is in fluid communication with the product volume1550-2. FIG. 15B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexiblecontainer 1500 of FIG. 15A.

FIG. 16A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 1600 having a structural support frame 1640 and threeproduct volumes 1650-1, 1650-2, and 1650-3 disposed side by side,separated by vertical walls 1655-1 and 1655-2, with dispensers 1660-1,1660-2, and 1660-3 on the top (or alternatively, on the bottom) of thecontainer 1600. The dispenser 1660-1 is in fluid communication with theproduct volume 1650-1, the dispenser 1660-2 is in fluid communicationwith the product volume 1650-2, and the dispenser 1660-3 is in fluidcommunication with the product volume 1650-3. FIG. 16B illustrates aside view of the stand up flexible container 1600 of FIG. 16A.

FIG. 17A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 1700 having a structural support frame 1740 and twoproduct volumes 1750-1 and 1750-2 disposed side by side, separated by avertical wall 1755, with dispensers 1760-1 and 1760-2 on the front (oralternatively, at other illustrated locations on the front or on theback) of the container 1700. The dispenser 1760-1 is in fluidcommunication with the product volume 1750-1 and the dispenser 1760-2 isin fluid communication with the product volume 1750-2. FIG. 17Billustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container 1700 of FIG.17A.

FIG. 18A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 1800 having a structural support frame 1840 and twoproduct volumes 1850-1 and 1850-2 disposed side by side, separated by avertical wall 1855, with dispensers 1860-1 and 1860-2 on the sides ofthe container 1800 (alternatively, at any other illustrated location onthe sides). The dispenser 1860-1 is in fluid communication with theproduct volume 1850-1 and the dispenser 1860-2 is in fluid communicationwith the product volume 1850-2. FIG. 18B illustrates a side view of thestand up flexible container 1800 of FIG. 18A.

FIG. 19A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 1900 having a structural support frame 1940 and twoproduct volumes 1950-1 and 1950-2 disposed side by side, separated by anangled wall 1955, with dispensers 1960-1 and 1960-2 on the sides of thecontainer 1900 (alternatively, at any other illustrated location on thesides). The dispenser 1960-1 is in fluid communication with the productvolume 1950-1 and the dispenser 1960-2 is in fluid communication withthe product volume 1950-2. FIG. 19B illustrates a side view of the standup flexible container 1900 of FIG. 19A.

FIG. 20A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 2000 having a structural support frame 2040 and twoproduct volumes 2050-1 and 2050-2 disposed side by side, separated by avertical wall 2055, with a parallel dispenser 2060 on the top (oralternatively, on the bottom) of the container 2000. The paralleldispenser 2060 is in fluid communication with the product volume 2050-1and with the product volume 2050-2. FIG. 20B illustrates a side view ofthe stand up flexible container 2000 of FIG. 20A.

FIG. 21A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 2100 having a structural support frame 2140 and twoproduct volumes 2150-1 and 2150-2 disposed side by side, separated by avertical wall 2155, with a parallel dispenser 2160 on the front (oralternatively, at other illustrated locations on the front or on theback) of the container 2100. The parallel dispenser 2160 is in fluidcommunication with the product volume 2150-1 and with the product volume2150-2. FIG. 21B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexiblecontainer 2100 of FIG. 21A.

FIG. 22A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 2200 having a structural support frame 2240 and twoproduct volumes 2250-1 and 2250-2 disposed side by side, separated by avertical wall 2255, with a mixing dispenser 2260 on the top (oralternatively, on the bottom) of the container 2200. The mixingdispenser 2260 is in fluid communication with the product volume 2250-1and with the product volume 2250-2. FIG. 22B illustrates a side view ofthe stand up flexible container 2200 of FIG. 22A.

FIG. 23A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 2300 having a structural support frame 2340 and twoproduct volumes 2350-1 and 2350-2 disposed side by side, separated by avertical wall 2355, mixing valves 2356-1 and 2356-2 and a mixing volume2357, and with a dispenser 2360 on the top (or alternatively, on thebottom) of the container 2300. The mixing valve 2356-1 allows andcontrols fluid communication between with the product volume 2350-1 andthe mixing volume 2357 and the mixing valve 2356-2 allows and controlsfluid communication between with the product volume 2350-2 and themixing volume 2357. In some embodiments, a mixing valve also can meterthe rate of fluid communication between a product volume and a mixingvolume. The dispenser 2360 is in fluid communication with the mixingvolume 2357. FIG. 23B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexiblecontainer 2300 of FIG. 23A.

FIG. 24A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 2400 having a structural support frame 2440 and twoproduct volumes 2450-1 and 2450-2 disposed front to back, separated by avertical wall 2455, with dispensers 2460-1 and 2460-2 on the top (oralternatively, on the bottom) of the container 2400. The dispenser2460-1 is in fluid communication with the product volume 2450-1 and thedispenser 2460-2 is in fluid communication with the product volume2450-2. FIG. 24B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexiblecontainer 2400 of FIG. 24A.

FIG. 25A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 2500 having a structural support frame 2540 and twoproduct volumes 2550-1 and 2550-2 disposed front to back, separated by avertical wall 2555, with dispensers 2560-ion the front and the back ofthe container 2500 (or alternatively, at other illustrated locations onthe front or on the back). The dispenser 2560-1 is in fluidcommunication with the product volume 2550-1 and the dispenser 2560-2 isin fluid communication with the product volume 2550-2. FIG. 25Billustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container 2500 of FIG.25A.

FIG. 26A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 2600 having a structural support frame 2640 and twoproduct volumes 2650-1 and 2650-2 disposed front to back, separated byan angled wall 2655, with dispensers 2660-1 and 2660-2 on the front andthe back of the container 2600 (or alternatively, at other illustratedlocations on the front or on the back). The dispenser 2660-1 is in fluidcommunication with the product volume 2650-1 and the dispenser 2660-2 isin fluid communication with the product volume 2650-2. FIG. 26Billustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container 2600 of FIG.26A.

FIG. 27A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 2700 having a structural support frame 2740 and twoproduct volumes 2750-1 and 2750-2 disposed front to back, separated by avertical wall 2755, with dispensers 2760-1 and 2760-2 on the sides ofthe container 2700 (alternatively, at any other illustrated location onthe sides). The dispenser 2760-1 is in fluid communication with theproduct volume 2750-1 and the dispenser 2760-2 is in fluid communicationwith the product volume 2750-2. FIG. 27B illustrates a side view of thestand up flexible container 2700 of FIG. 27A.

FIG. 28A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 2800 having a structural support frame 2840 and twoproduct volumes 2850-1 and 2850-2 disposed front to back, separated by avertical wall 2855, with a parallel dispenser 2860 on the top (oralternatively, on the bottom) of the container 2800. The paralleldispenser 2860 is in fluid communication with the product volume 2850-1and with the product volume 2850-2. FIG. 28B illustrates a side view ofthe stand up flexible container 2800 of FIG. 28A.

FIG. 29A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 2900 having a structural support frame 2940 and threeproduct volumes 2950-1, 2950-2, and 2950-3 disposed front to back,separated by vertical walls 2955-1 and 2955-2, with a parallel dispenser2690 on the top (or alternatively, on the bottom) of the container 2900.The parallel dispenser 2960 is in fluid communication with the productvolume 2950-1, with the product volume 2950-2, and with the productvolume 2950-2. FIG. 29B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexiblecontainer 2900 of FIG. 29A.

FIG. 30A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 3000 having a structural support frame 3040 and twoproduct volumes 3050-1 and 3050-2 disposed front to back, separated by avertical wall 3055, and with a parallel dispenser 3060 on the side ofthe container 3000 (alternatively, at any other illustrated location onthe sides). The parallel dispenser 3060 is in fluid communication withthe product volume 3050-1 and with the product volume 3050-2. FIG. 30Billustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container 3000 of FIG.30A.

FIG. 31A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 3100 having a structural support frame 3140 and twoproduct volumes 3150-1 and 3150-2 disposed front to back, separated by avertical wall 3155, and with a mixing dispenser 3160 on the top (oralternatively, on the bottom) of the container 3100. The mixingdispenser 3160 is in fluid communication with the product volume 3150-1and with the product volume 3150-2. FIG. 31B illustrates a side view ofthe stand up flexible container 3100 of FIG. 31A.

FIG. 32A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 3200 having a structural support frame 3240 and twoproduct volumes 3250-1 and 3250-2 disposed front to back, separated by avertical wall 3255, mixing valves 3256-1 and 3256-2 and a mixing volume3257, and with dispensers 3260 on the top (or alternatively, on thebottom) of the container 3200. The mixing valve 3256-1 allows andcontrols fluid communication between with the product volume 3250-1 andthe mixing volume 3257 and the mixing valve 3256-2 allows and controlsfluid communication between with the product volume 3250-2 and themixing volume 3257. The dispenser 3260 is in fluid communication withthe mixing volume 3257. FIG. 32B illustrates a side view of the stand upflexible container 3200 of FIG. 32A.

FIG. 33A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 3300 having a structural support frame 3340 and twoproduct volumes 3350-1 and 3350-2 disposed top to bottom, separated by ahorizontal wall 3355, and with dispensers 3360-1 and 3360-2 on the sideof the container 3300 (alternatively, at other illustrated locations onthe other side). The dispenser 3360-1 is in fluid communication with theproduct volume 3350-1 and the dispenser 3360-2 is in fluid communicationwith the product volume 3350-2. FIG. 33B illustrates a side view of thestand up flexible container 3300 of FIG. 33A.

FIG. 34A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 3400 having a structural support frame 3440 and twoproduct volumes 3450-1 and 3450-2 disposed top to bottom, separated byan angled wall 3455, and with dispensers 3460-1 and 3460-2 on the sideof the container 3400 (alternatively, at other illustrated locations onthe other side). The dispenser 3460-1 is in fluid communication with theproduct volume 3450-1 and the dispenser 3460-2 is in fluid communicationwith the product volume 3450-2. FIG. 34B illustrates a side view of thestand up flexible container 3400 of FIG. 34A.

FIG. 35A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 3500 having a structural support frame 3540 and threeproduct volumes 3550-1, 3550-2, and 3550-3 disposed top to bottom,separated by horizontal walls 3555-1 and 3555-2, and with dispensers3560-1, 3560-2, and 3560-3 on the sides of the container 3500(alternatively, at other illustrated locations on the other side). Thedispenser 3560-1 is in fluid communication with the product volume3550-1, the dispenser 3560-2 is in fluid communication with the productvolume 3550-2, and the dispenser 3560-3 is in fluid communication withthe product volume 3550-3. FIG. 35B illustrates a side view of the standup flexible container 3500 of FIG. 35A.

FIG. 36A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 3600 having a structural support frame 3640 and twoproduct volumes 3450-1 and 3450-2 disposed top to bottom, separated by ahorizontal wall 3655, and with a parallel dispenser 3660 on the side ofthe container 3600 (alternatively, at other illustrated location on theother side). The parallel dispenser 3660 is in fluid communication withthe product volume 3650-1 and with the product volume 3550-2. FIG. 36Billustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container 3600 of FIG.36A.

FIG. 37A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 3700 having a structural support frame 3740 and twoproduct volumes 3750-1 and 3750-2 disposed top to bottom, separated by ahorizontal wall 3755, and with a parallel dispenser 3760 on the front ofthe container 3700 (or alternatively, at other illustrated locations onthe front or on the back). The parallel dispenser 3760 is in fluidcommunication with the product volume 3750-1 and with the product volume3750-2. FIG. 37B illustrates a side view of the stand up flexiblecontainer 3700 of FIG. 37A.

FIG. 38A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 3800 having a structural support frame 3840 and twoproduct volumes 3850-1 and 3850-2 disposed top to bottom, separated by ahorizontal wall 3855, and with a mixing dispenser 3860 on the side ofthe container 3800 (alternatively, at other illustrated location on theother side). The mixing dispenser 3860 is in fluid communication withthe product volume 3850-1 and with the product volume 3850-2. FIG. 38Billustrates a side view of the stand up flexible container 3800 of FIG.38A.

FIG. 39A illustrates a front view of an embodiment of a stand upflexible container 3900 having a structural support frame 3940 and twoproduct volumes 3950-1 and 3950-2 disposed top to bottom, separated by ahorizontal wall 3955, mixing valves 3956-1 and 3956-3 and a mixingvolume 3957, and a dispenser 3960 on the side of the container 3900. Themixing valve 3956-1 allows and controls fluid communication between withthe product volume 3950-1 and the mixing volume 3957 and the mixingvalve 3956-2 allows and controls fluid communication between with theproduct volume 3950-2 and the mixing volume 3957. The dispenser 3960 isin fluid communication with the mixing volume 3957. FIG. 39B illustratesa side view of the stand up flexible container 3900 of FIG. 39A.

FIGS. 40-45 illustrate embodiments of self-supporting flexiblecontainers, which are not stand up containers, but which are configuredwith structural support frames and multiple product volumes. FIGS. 40-45illustrate embodiments of self-supporting flexible containers having anoverall shape like a rectangle, a square, or squares, similar to theembodiment of FIGS. 9A-9B. Alternatively, any of the embodiments ofFIGS. 40-45 can have a structural support frame that has an overallshape configured according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein,including the embodiments of FIGS. 10A-11B, and any of their alternateembodiments. Any of the elements (e.g. structural support frames,structural support members, panels, dispensers, etc.) of the embodimentsof FIGS. 40-45, can be configured according to any of the embodimentsdisclosed herein. While each of the embodiments of FIGS. 40-45illustrates a container with a particular number of product volumes anddispensers, in various embodiments, each container can include variousnumbers of product volumes and various numbers of dispensers, eachconfigured according to any embodiment described herein. FIGS. 40-45illustrate exemplary additional/alternate locations for dispenser withphantom line outlines. The embodiments of FIGS. 40-45 includenonstructural panels, disposed between the structural support membersthat form their structural support frames (as described herein), andpart, parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantially all,or nearly all, or all of each of the panels in the embodiments of FIGS.40-45 is suitable to display any kind of indicia, and to be configuredin any way described herein. For clarity, not all structural details ofthese flexible containers are shown in FIGS. 40-45; however any of theembodiments of FIGS. 40-45 can be configured to include any structure orfeature for flexible containers, disclosed herein.

In particular, any of the embodiments of FIGS. 40-45 can be configuredto include parallel dispensers, mixing dispensers, walls, and/or mixingvolumes, as disclosed herein in relation to the embodiments of FIGS.15A-39B. In other words, regardless of differences in overall shape(e.g. resulting from the geometries of the structural support frames)and regardless of differences in stand up (e.g. each of the embodimentsof FIGS. 15A-39B can be laid on its back to simulate a self-supportingflexible container that is not a stand up container), any of thefeatures of parallel dispensers, mixing dispensers, walls, and/or mixingvolumes can be reapplied to any of the embodiments of FIGS. 40-45, aswill be understood by one of skill in the art.

FIG. 40 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a self-supportingflexible container 4000 having a structural support frame 4040 and twoproduct volumes 4050-1 and 4050-2 disposed side by side, adjacent toeach other, separated by a seal 4071, wherein the one structural supportframe 4040 supports both product volumes 4050-1 and 4050-2, and there isa dispenser 4060-1 and 4060-2 for each of the product volumes 4050-1 and4050-2. The seal 4071 extends linearly over the entire container 4000from its front to its back and divides both the product volume space aswell as the structural support members that form the structural supportframe 4040. The seal 4071 also separates the top of the container 4000into top panels 4080-t 1 and 4080-t 2. The structural support members ofthe structural support frame 4040 surround the top panels 4080-t 1 and4080-t 2, as they are disposed together, side by side. Portions of thetop panels 4080-t 1 and 4080-t 2 are illustrated as broken away, inorder to show the product volumes 4050-1 and 4050-2. The product volume4050-1 is configured to dispense fluent product through a flow channel4059-1 and a dispenser 4060-1 in the front. The product volume 4050-2 isconfigured to dispense fluent product through a flow channel 4059-2 anda dispenser 4060-2 in the front. However, in various embodiments, eitheror both of the dispensers 4060-1 and 4060-2 can be disposed in alternatelocations (as illustrated by the smaller phantom line outlines) or evencombined into a parallel dispenser or a mixing dispenser (as illustratedby the larger phantom line outlines).

In alternative embodiments, the seal 4071 can be constructed indifferent ways, resulting in various alternate versions of the container4000. As a first example, the seal 4071 could have a lesser extent,dividing the product volume space, but not extending over the structuralsupport members; thus leaving the surrounding structural support membersundivided. As a second example, the seal 4071 could have a differentsize and/or shape, thus resulting in product volumes and/or structuralsupport members of different sizes or shapes. As a third example, morethan one seal could be used, which could separate the container 4000into additional product volumes and/or additional structural supportmembers. These alternative constructions of seals can also be combinedto create additional alternate versions of the container 4000.

FIG. 41 illustrates a top view of another embodiment of aself-supporting flexible container 4100 having a structural supportframe 4140 and two product volumes 4150-1 and 4150-2 disposed side byside, adjacent to each other, wherein the one structural support frame4140 supports both product volumes 4150-1 and 4150-2, and there is adispenser 4160-1 and 4160-2 for each of the product volumes 4150-1 and4150-2. The product volumes 4150-1 and 4150-2 are separated by a wall4155 that extends between the product volumes 4150-1 and 4150-2 fromfront to back. Structural support members of the structural supportframe 4140 surround a top panel 4180-t 1, and structural support membersof the structural support frame 4140 separately surround a top panel4180-t 2. Portions of the top panels 4180-t 1 and 4180-t 2 areillustrated as broken away, in order to show the product volumes 4150-1and 4150-2. The product volume 4150-1 is configured to dispense fluentproduct through a flow channel 4159-1 and a dispenser 4160-1 in thefront. The product volume 4150-2 is configured to dispense fluentproduct through a flow channel 4159-2 and a dispenser 4160-2 in thefront. However, in various embodiments, either or both of the dispensers4160-1 and 4160-2 can be disposed in alternate locations (as illustratedby the smaller phantom line outlines) or even combined into a paralleldispenser or a mixing dispenser (as illustrated by the larger phantomline outlines).

FIG. 42 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of a self-supportingflexible container 4200 having a structural support frame 4240 and twoproduct volumes 4250-1 and 4250-2 disposed side by side, spaced apartfrom each other, wherein the one structural support frame 4240 supportsboth of the product volumes 4250-1 and 4250-2, and there is a dispenser4260-1 and 4260-2 for each of the product volumes 4250-1 and 4250-2. Theproduct volumes 4250-1 and 4250-2 are spaced apart from each other by ajoining region 4272 that extends from left to right across the front ofthe container 4200, and includes a portion of the structural supportframe 4240. The joining region 4272 can serve as a handle for thecontainer 4200. In various embodiments, a joining region can be disposedin various other locations (e.g. the middle or the back) in a flexiblecontainer and/or more than one joining region can be used. The joiningregion 4272 also includes an optional hole 4273 for hanging the flexiblecontainer 4200. Structural support members of the structural supportframe 4240 surround a top panel 4280-t 1, and structural support membersof the structural support frame 4240 separately surround a top panel4280-t 2. Portions of the top panels 4280-t 1 and 4280-t 2 areillustrated as broken away, in order to show the product volumes 4250-1and 4250-2. The product volume 4250-1 is configured to dispense fluentproduct through a flow channel 4259-1 and a dispenser 4260-1 in thefront. The product volume 4250-2 is configured to dispense fluentproduct through a flow channel 4259-2 and a dispenser 4260-2 in thefront. However, in various embodiments, either or both of the dispensers4260-1 and 4260-2 can be disposed in alternate locations (as illustratedby the phantom line outlines).

FIG. 43 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of an article ofmanufacture 4300 having two self-supporting flexible containers 4300-1and 4300-2, disposed side by side, wherein each of the flexiblecontainers 4300-1 and 4300-2 has a separate structural support frame4340-1 and 4340-2 that supports a product volume 4350-1 and 4350-2 andhas a dispenser 4360-1 and 4360-2, and the flexible containers 4300-1and 4300-2 are (permanently or detachably) directly connected by aconnection 4374 along adjacent sides. In the flexible container 4300-1,structural support members of the structural support frame 4340-1surround a top panel 4380-t 1, and in the flexible container 4300-1,structural support members of the structural support frame 4340-2separately surround a top panel 4380-t 2. Portions of the top panels4380-t 1 and 4380-t 2 are illustrated as broken away, in order to showthe product volumes 4350-1 and 4350-2. The product volume 4350-1 isconfigured to dispense fluent product through a flow channel 4359-1 anda dispenser 4360-1 in the front. The product volume 4350-2 is configuredto dispense fluent product through a flow channel 4359-2 and a dispenser4360-2 in the front. In the embodiment of FIG. 43, the flexiblecontainers 4300-1 and 4300-2 are directly connected by the connection4374 along substantially all of their sides. However, in variousembodiments, the flexible containers 4300-1 and 4300-2 can be connectedalong part, parts, or about all, or approximately all, or substantiallyall, or nearly all, or all of either or both of their sides, fronts,and/or backs. Any number of self-supporting flexible containers can beconnected in these ways, in linear arrays, in radial arrays, or in anypattern or configuration known in the art.

FIG. 44 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of an article ofmanufacture 4400 having two self-supporting flexible containers 4400-1and 4400-2, disposed side by side, wherein each of the flexiblecontainers 4400-1 and 4400-2 has a separate structural support frame4440-1 and 4440-2 that supports a product volume 4450-1 and 4450-2 andhas a dispenser 4460-1 and 4460-2, and the flexible containers 4400-1and 4400-2 are detachably joined together along adjacent sides by ajoining region 4472. The joining region 4472 can be made of one or morerigid and/or flexible materials. In the embodiment of FIG. 44, thejoining region 4474 does not include a portion of a structural supportframe. The joining region 4472 includes a line of weakness 4474 thatextends through the joining region 4472 from front to back, and whichallows the flexible containers 4400-1 and 4400-2 to become detached fromeach other. However, in various embodiments, the joining region may notinclude a line of weakness; the flexible containers 4400-1 and 4400-2may be permanently attached to each other. The product volume 4450-1 isconfigured to dispense fluent product through a flow channel 4459-1 anda dispenser 4460-1 in the front. The product volume 4450-2 is configuredto dispense fluent product through a flow channel 4459-2 and a dispenser4460-2 in the front. In the embodiment of FIG. 44, the flexiblecontainers 4400-1 and 4400-2 are joined to the joining region 4472 alongsubstantially all of their sides. However, in various embodiments, theflexible containers 4400-1 and 4400-2 can be joined to one or morejoining regions along part, parts, or about all, or approximately all,or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of either or both of theirsides, fronts, and/or backs. Any number of self-supporting flexiblecontainers can be connected in these ways, in linear arrays, in radialarrays, or in any pattern or configuration known in the art.

FIG. 45 illustrates a top view of an embodiment of an article ofmanufacture 4500 having three self-supporting flexible containers4500-1, 4500-2, and 4500-3, disposed face to face on top of each other,wherein each of the flexible containers 4500-1, 4500-2, and 4500-3 has aseparate structural support frame 4540-1, 4540-2, and 4540-3 thatsupports a product volume 4550-1, 4550-2, and 4550-3 and has a dispenser4560-1, 4560-2, and 4560-3, and the flexible containers 4500-1, 4500-2,and 4500-3 are directly and permanently connected by connections 4574-1and 4574-2. However, in various embodiments, flexible containers 4500-1,4500-2, and 4500-3 may not be permanently attached to each other, butmay be detachably connected and/or joined together. For each of theflexible containers 4500-1, 4500-2, and 4500-3, the elements can beconfigured in the same manner as like-numbered elements of theself-supporting flexible container 900 of FIGS. 9A-9B. In the embodimentof FIG. 45, the flexible containers 4500-1, 4500-2, and 4500-3 arevertically aligned and connected together across substantially all oftheir tops and/or bottoms. However, in various embodiments, the flexiblecontainers 4500-1, 4500-2, and 4500-3 may not be vertically aligned andcan be connected and/or joined along part, parts, or about all, orapproximately all, or substantially all, or nearly all, or all of theirtops and/or bottoms, including the tops and/or bottoms of theirstructural support frames 4540-1, 4540-2, and 4540-3 and/or their topand bottom panels. Any number of self-supporting flexible containers canbe connected in these ways, in linear arrays, in radial arrays, or inany pattern or configuration known in the art.

Part, parts, or all of any of the embodiments disclosed herein can becombined with part, parts, or all of other embodiments known in the artof flexible containers, including those described below.

Embodiments of the present disclosure can use any and all embodiments ofmaterials, structures, and/or features for flexible containers, as wellas any and all methods of making and/or using such flexible containers,as disclosed in the following US provisional patent applications: (1)application 61/643,813 filed May 7, 2012, entitled “Film BasedContainers” (applicant's case 12464P); (2) application 61/643,823 filedMay 7, 2012, entitled “Film Based Containers” (applicant's case 12465P);(3) application 61/676,042 filed Jul. 26, 2012, entitled “Film BasedContainer Having a Decoration Panel” (applicant's case 12559P); (4)application 61/727,961 filed Nov. 19, 2012, entitled “Containers Madefrom Flexible Material” (applicant's case 12559P2); and (5) application61/680,045 filed Aug. 6, 2012, entitled “Methods of Making Film BasedContainers” (applicant's case 12579P); each of which is herebyincorporated by reference.

Part, parts, or all of any of the embodiments disclosed herein also canbe combined with part, parts, or all of other embodiments known in theart of containers for fluent products, so long as those embodiments canbe applied to flexible containers, as disclosed herein. For example, invarious embodiments, a flexible container can include a verticallyoriented transparent strip, disposed on a portion of the container thatoverlays the product volume, and configured to show the level of thefluent product in the product volume.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood asbeing strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead,unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean boththe recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding thatvalue. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean“about 40 mm”.

Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or relatedpatent or patent publication, is hereby incorporated herein by referencein its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. Thecitation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art withrespect to any document disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, orin any combination with any other reference or references, teaches,suggests or discloses any such embodiment. Further, to the extent thatany meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with anymeaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated byreference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in thisdocument shall govern.

While particular embodiments have been illustrated and described herein,it should be understood that various other changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimedsubject matter. Moreover, although various aspects of the claimedsubject matter have been described herein, such aspects need not beutilized in combination. It is therefore intended that the appendedclaims cover all such changes and modifications that are within thescope of the claimed subject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. An article of manufacture comprising: a firstdisposable self-supporting flexible container having a first structuralsupport frame and a first product volume, wherein the first structuralsupport frame is configured to support the first product volume; and asecond disposable flexible container having a second product volume;wherein the first container is joined to the second container.
 2. Thearticle of claim 1, wherein the second container has a second structuralsupport frame configured to support the second product volume, and thesecond container is a self-supporting container.
 3. The article of claim2, wherein the first container is a stand up container.
 4. The articleof claim 1, wherein: the first product volume is a multiple dose productvolume; and the second product volume is a single dose product volume.5. The article of claim 1, wherein the first container is detachablyconnected to the second container.
 6. A non-durable self-supportflexible container comprising: a first product volume; a second productvolume; and a structural support frame, configured to support both thefirst product volume and the second product volume.
 7. The flexiblecontainer of claim 6, which is a stand up container.
 8. The flexiblecontainer of claim 7, which is a disposable container.
 9. The flexiblecontainer of claim 7, wherein each of the product volumes is closed. 10.A disposable stand up flexible container comprising: a first productvolume, which directly contains a first fluent product; a second productvolume, which directly contains a second fluent product that differsfrom the first fluent product; and a structural support frame,configured to support at least one of the product volumes.
 11. Theflexible container of claim 10, wherein: the first fluent product is acomposition essentially made from a defined group of ingredientscombined in a first apportionment; and the second fluent product is acomposition essentially made from the defined group of ingredientscombined in a second apportionment, which differs from the firstapportionment.
 12. The flexible container of claim 10, wherein: thefirst fluent product is a composition essentially made from a definedgroup of active ingredients and a first additive; and the second fluentproduct is a composition essentially made from the defined group ofactive ingredients and a second additive, which differs from the firstadditive.
 13. The flexible container of claim 12, wherein: the firstadditive is a first distinguishing additive; and the second additive isa second distinguishing additive, which differs from the firstdistinguishing additive.
 14. The flexible container of claim 10,wherein: the first fluent product is a base composition; and the secondfluent product is an additive configured to be combined with the basecomposition.
 15. A non-durable self-supporting flexible containercomprising: a first product volume, which directly contains a firstfluent product; a second product volume, which directly contains asecond fluent product that differs from the first fluent product; astructural support frame, configured to support both the first productvolume and the second product volume; and only one dispenser.
 16. Theflexible container of claim 15, which is a stand up container.
 17. Theflexible container of claim 15, wherein the dispenser is in fluidcommunication with only one of the product volumes.
 18. The flexiblecontainer of claim 17, wherein the first product volume is separatedfrom the second product volume by a frangible wall.
 19. The flexiblecontainer of claim 16, including a mixing volume that is in fluidcommunication with the first product volume, with the second productvolume, and with the dispenser.
 20. The article of claim 19, wherein themixing volume is configured to form a single-dose volume.